The Eagle
by A. E. Buhr
Summary: 21-year-old Aubrey Cristo was taken from her home in the dark of night. Only to find out that she has been kidnapped by Hydra. They tell her that she is destined to be even greater than the Winter Soldier. One man's words continue to blare in her mind "You, little fraulein will be even greater than our Wintersoldat. You brought us your wings and powers, we will do the rest.."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N" This is the first chapter of the rewritten Bound By Memories. More will come out as I write it! The timeline is a little off but its while Hydra still has The Winter Soldier.**

"Chink, Chink, Chink" the familiar sound played in Aubrey's ears. The sound was a guard walking past. His keys jangling on his belt. Her eyes opened, wincing at the eternal light in her cell. This nightmare was something she could never awaken from...

Because it was a reality.

A reality that Aubrey couldn't believe was happening. Weeks, maybe months ago she had been taken in the dark of night. By masked men. No name was plastered on their clothing, only a faintly familiar symbol. Nothing and no one could save her except for herself. And that wasn't happening, not in her state. Slowly, carefully Aubrey rose to her feet. Unsteady with the weight of the chain attached to her ankle. The chain was just long enough that she could reach her bed, sink, toilet, and the food slot. But short enough that Aubrey's feet had to hang off the wooden board that was her bed. Most often she sat at the base of the chain. Leaning against the wall to sleep. Trying to block the lights that never turned off. Recently something had been different, more guards and nervous whispers. Even the security had been upped. Aubrey's wrists were now raw from her newest accessories, 2 bands of metal, both could kill her in one shock. If it felt even the slightest flicker of her powers then she would be dead…

Except for one thing, her biggest secret.

Telepathy.

Aubrey had discovered that she could quietly slip into the less bright guard's minds and manipulate them to a small extent. Extra food here, friendlier there, but she was careful. Unsure whether it affected her health or not. Aubrey walked-limped to the sink and took a long drink from the salty water. The sound of another soldier's boots made Aubrey turn, her cell door was opened and she was roughly taken to a room swarming with scientists and guards. They all seemed to be speaking in either German or French. Aubrey was put through various tests all day, making her headache and her bones tired. Whenever she tried to resist she was punished, by the end Aubrey's face was littered with bruises. When she was finally back in her cell every part of her trembled with pain, and fear. This went on for a long time, but time in Aubrey's cell was non-existent. It was frightening not knowing how long had passed, often Aubrey thought about her family. She knew that if her family knew where she was... They wouldn't hesitate to come and rescue her. After lots of testing, which included running on treadmills, solving scientific problems, and various other things. Something changed, Aubrey was taken and asked to _kill,_ an innocent man crouched in a corner was her victim. She flat out refused and they took her to a new room. An ominous metal chair that looked like some sort of torture device was in the middle. Aubrey was forced into it and a rubber bit was shoved into her mouth, the chair turned on and hummed. Metal plates were put against Aubrey's forehead...That was when the screaming started. Pain crowded Aubrey's vision as she screamed, biting down on the bit. A voice spoke out above the rest as it started to speak

"You are our soldier, you will be known as Der Adler, The Eagle, our Eagle. You will obey our words. Spitze, 51, Adler, Blauer Himmel, Auto, Leben, Angst." [Top, 51, eagle, blue sky, car, life, fear] Aubrey felt the words ingrain themselves in her mind as she tried to fight them. But the chair seemed like it was sucking the _life _out of her. Before Aubrey could do anything, she went unconscious.

Something wasn't right when Aubrey woke up, her memory seemed...faded. The words came back to her and she tried to push them away, she could feel that the words wanted to take over. Aubrey told herself that she would do everything in her power to getaway. She groggily sat up and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Waiting until the throbbing stopped, but it didn't. She put her head between her knees and took deep breaths, saying quietly to herself

"I will be ok, everything will be fine. The police will find me any day now." but she was interrupted by a heavily accented man's voice as he chuckled

"Ahh, fraulein, you are far from the clutches of the Americans. We will make you a powerful person. We will turn you into the weapon you were always meant to be. The words Hail Hydra will forever be on your tongue." Aubrey turned to see a man in black with an emblem on his jacket. A red skull with tentacles stared back at her. His face was blank but his eyes held pride as he watched her and continued to speak

"You, little fraulein will be even greater than our Winter Soldat. You brought us your wings and your powers, we will do the rest. Hail Hydra" he chuckled darkly before walking away from her cell, disappearing down the dark hallway. Aubrey's mind itched but she couldn't remember where she had heard the name Hydra before. She was not taken out of her cell until what she thought was the next day. Aubrey was once again taken to different rooms to exercise both her mind and her body. But today, when they were done Aubrey was taken to a new room. A medical bed sat in the middle and a blue bag was attached to an I.V. a man pointed to the chair and Aubrey sat on it. Before she knew what was happening, a needle pushed into her skin and she felt the icy cold serum flooding into her blood system. It felt as if dry ice was running through her veins, she felt her powers shift and the light filtered through her body. She flickered like a lightbulb, from seen to unseen. Writhing in pain she vaguely heard the doctors voice cut through the agony

"Do not worry Adler, it will soon be over."

That was when everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N" Let me know what you think!**

She woke in a new room on a mattress, every part of her ached with pain. But she felt...stronger, a click echoed through her bare room and her door opened, the same man from earlier entering

"Ahhh The Adler is awake. Stand up, it is time we tell you what is happening." but Aubrey didn't move. When the man saw that she had no intention of moving he roughly picked her up by her shoulders and made her stand. Aubrey wobbled as pain shot up her arms, her legs unsteady but the man didn't care as he led her to the room with the chair. Her memory of it played in Aubrey's mind as she trembled, the pain of it was still fresh. He shoved her down in the seat and sat across from her, speaking

"Fraulein, Our Eagle. We have been testing you to see if you are truly worthy of being our Adler. You have tested very high and so yesterday they injected you with your first round of serum. This serum is going to make you a strong and powerful Adler.-" Aubrey cut him off, her voice seething with fury

"My name is Aubrey, not Adler or Eagle. Just Aubrey." she was going to say more but silenced when the man's hand slapped her cheek. Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt her cheek grow hot with agony, holding in a shuddering breath she quietly listened to the man

"You are The Adler and nothing else! Do you hear me, Adler?" Aubrey shook her head, saying quietly

"_No"_

"What did you say?" Venom was in the man's voice

"_I said NO!"_ despite where she was, Aubrey reached out and pushed the man away from her. Hands held her down as she screamed and hit anything she could. Cold metal plates slammed against her forehead and she felt the machine's low hum rumble in her chest. Fear blossomed and she screamed

_"__NO PLEASE NO, I WANT TO REMEMBER"_ but she was ignored, she felt as if the memories were being pulled right out of her head. Voices spoke in the background and familiar words seemed to slice through everything but Aubrey tried desperately to hold onto the last shreds of her sanity...her mind before it slipped away, along with her consciousness.

"Adler!" a voice commanded The Eagle awake, her eyes fluttered but her brain immediately obeyed the voice. Her body tensed as the voice spoke again

"Adler, what is your name?" Eagle's mind whirled as she tried to remember, only one thing surfaced as she responded in German

"Mein Name ist der Adler, Sir" [My name is The Eagle, sir] The Eagle's eyes gazed at the harsh man looking down at her, oblivious to her surroundings.

"Get up Adler and follow." The Eagle nodded and blankly followed the man out of her room and down a hallway. He stopped outside a door, a tan backpack hung off a hook. The man took a tan backpack off of the wall and handed it to The Eagle, who looked at him, confused. Yet she didn't question the man.

"This is yours, it transforms into wings. We have upgraded them to fit your needs. Come, Adler, you have a mission, put on your wings, and sharpen your talons." The Eagle nodded once more as she slipped on the backpack. The man opened the door to the new room, two people were in it. One man was sitting in a chair at the table, his arms crossed across his chest. The other was standing just behind him, his muscles tense and ready, his left arm in a full glove. The moment The Eagle and her handler entered the room both men seemed to tense.

"Commander" Eagles handler acknowledged, the Commander nodded and spoke, his voice gruff

"Lieutenant, Adler, Soldat," the Commander paused and nodded to each of them before continuing

"Adler, you will be accompanying the Soldat on this mission. Two Targets, one night. No Witnesses. You will be posing as guests at a house party. Eliminate anything or anyone who gets in your way. Soldat has been briefed on the mission" The man with the gloved arm nodded, his cloudy eyes grazing over The Eagle as she returned it. In her black shirt, pants, and tan backpack she didn't look like much of a threat. He didn't know that as a child she had been taught over eight different forms of karate by her father. He had always feared for her safety for some reason. But as the Adler tried to remember her father's name a sharp arrow of pain sliced through her consciousness. The same happened when she thought about her mother. She winced before she could hide her pain. The commander noticed, his brows furrowed as he spoke rapidly in german

"Adler, what pains you." The Eagle felt her spine stiffen as she was spoken to and the answer seemed to fly out of her mouth.

"My head sir." the commander nodded

"That is to be expected. Go with the Soldat and follow his orders." The Eagle nodded and neutrally followed the Soldat. He led her through the twisting maze of dark hallways and rooms before stopping in what looked like a weapons room. Inside a sleek black uniform was laid out on a table, beside it a black duffel. The Soldat spoke for the first time, his voice gruff and emotionless.

"Put that on and take the duffle. I will be in there-" he paused to nod to a connecting room that looked to be full of grenades and various types of guns. The Soldat didn't wait for her answer, he just walked into the room. Quickly she slipped off her current clothing and put on the new outfit. The uniform had various pockets for knives and throwing stars. The Eagle's eyes strayed to the wall, where various types of bows and arrows hung. Something tickled in the back of her mind but nothing surfaced. Slowly she reached out and ran her hand down one of the bows, a cold shudder traveled down her spine. The Eagle took the bow down, along with a matching quiver of arrows. She felt his presence immediately and turned to find his hard gaze on her. Soldat turned and silently exited the room, a large gun in his hand and a black mask on his face. The Eagle followed wordlessly as the Soldat took her outside to what looked like the roof. Cold winds blew the Eagles long ash-blonde hair into her face. The Eagle struggled to brush it aside and Soldat seemed to notice. Swiftly he came around and used his knife to jaggedly cut her hair into a bob. The Eagle felt an onslaught of emotions but her brainwashed mind pushed them away, she only nodded. The Soldat's eyes seemed to flash and for a moment they cleared, he spoke, his voice low and gravely

"It is for the best, it would have prohibited the mission." but moments after his mouth stopped moving and his eyes clouded again, he commanded

"Open up your wings." The Eagle was confused for a moment before instinct took over and she felt herself tap the tan straps twice in a row. The backpack seemed to melt away and cover The Eagle's body, turning black with silvery-gold lining. Her hands were covered with the suit and silver talons sprouted out of where her fingernails were. She turned her head to find a pair of wings had sprouted at her back, black, silvery-gold feathers covered the metal frames, and jets were at the base where they connected. The Soldat nodded approvingly before he walked over to a pedestal and typed something in. The floor opened and a helicopter was lifted up, the Soldat got in and held out a comm-link. The Eagle took it and fastened it in her ear,

"Fly beside the helicopter so you can get used to your new wings." Eagle nodded at the Soldats words as the helicopter blades started to spin. Running to the edge, the Eagle jumped off and flared her wings out, catching on an updraft and was launched to the sky


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N" I wasn't sure how to do the different languages but I think it turned out okay. The longer sentences will be in English but in reality, they are in German and sometimes French.**

**Enjoy! **

**Warning- if you are squeamish the end has a bit of blood, just a warning-**

For a moment something bubbled up inside of her but by the time it had reached her mouth the feeling had vanished. The helicopter was a shadow in front of her and the landscape below blurred, blindly The Eagle flew through the sky until both soldiers came to land at the top of a skyscraper, one of many that dotted the city in front of them. As soon as she landed, The Eagle's wings folded and the suit melted back into a tan backpack. Icily she watched the Soldier exit the helicopter and open the duffel, out he pulled a dark midnight blue dress and a tuxedo. The Eagles eyebrows scrunched in confusion as the Soldier's low voice sounded in her ears.

"Das Kleid sollte Ihren Kampfanzug bedecken, den Rucksack immer bei sich haben." ["The dress should cover your combat suit, always have the backpack with you.]

She nodded and quietly slipped on the dress as the Soldier did the same with the tux, the dress perfectly covered her combat suit and kept her throwing stars hidden. The soldier motioned for The Eagle to follow him and she complied, observing as he nimbly scaled the building to an alleyway where they walked to a large white mansion on a hill. On the way there The Eagle's mind wandered and she felt a loose string in her mind. When she tried to follow it the string disappeared, leaving a pounding headache behind. Several times as they walked she felt the soldier's eyes on her but the moment they entered the mansion both soldiers remembered their mission and that became their purpose. They mingled around the edges until the target had entered the ballroom, an older man in a green suit. The soldier pulled The Eagle to a corner and whispered rapidly in German. "Ziel hat das Gebäude betreten. Trail aber nicht engagieren. Keine Zeugen." [Target has entered the building. Trail but do not engage. No witnesses.] Silently The Eagle nodded and entered the crowd, a glass of wine in her hand, expertly she weaved through the clumps of people until the man in the green suit was just in front of her. His voice boomed through the room as he spoke to an immaculately dressed woman. Someone brushed against The Eagles back and she stiffened only to turn and find that it had been an accident. By the time she had turned back around the man was gone. The Eagle growled quietly and scanned the room until her gaze rested on the Soldier who was disappearing down a hallway. Within moments she had caught up with him "Ich drehte mich um, als ich wieder nach dem Ziel suchte, war er weg." [I turned for a minute, when I looked for the target again he was gone.]

"Nimm niemals deine Augen auf das Ziel" [Never take your eyes off the target]

The soldier paused "zieh deinen Anzug an" [Put on your suit], Eagle tapped the straps of the backpack and an eery calm settled over her as the suit covered her body, a cowl covered her face, and the wings unfolded before they darted into a room. Inside the target was searching through a desk fervently and was oblivious to their entrance until Eagle had blocked the door and the Soldier was behind him. The Eagle watched as the man slowly stiffened and turned around, his eyes darting around the room and taking everything in.

"I am innocent" he begged but the Solider only silently held out a vial of a green liquid, most of his face hidden behind the cowl he had strapped on.

"Please" he squeaked, his eyes going to The Eagle and widening when her wings flared, knocking a vase over and sending it to the floor, sending shattered pieces everywhere.

"Drink it or others will die." The words burst out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about them. By this time tears had started to roll down the man's cheeks and anguish flared in his eyes. His hand trembled as he took the vial and uncorked it, sniffing the liquid. He looked straight at The Eagle and declared "You will be found, go to your Commander and tell him that Hydra will be burnt to the ground sooner or later. Your crimes will be brought to light and you will live with the guilt for the rest of your life." with that he tipped the liquid back and before The Eagles eyes he paled and bloody foam started to flow from his lips and nose, the man gagged and coughed. He stumbled forward and tried to grab The Eagle's arm, but his hands were slick with blood. His hand slid off, leaving a handprint, before falling over limply. And just as that happened The Eagle felt her mind crack, memories falling through, her hand went to her mouth as a sob slipped out. For just a moment she was Aubrey again, human again. Her lungs heaved, gasping for breath The Eagle looked at the man, memorizing every line in his face. She had _murdered_ him.

But the moment was over just as it had begun, The Eagle's programing took over and her mind started to repeat "This is my mission." Her face became stony and all trace of her breakdown disappeared. The commlink in The Eagle's ear chirped and a gruff voice asked "Statusbericht Adler" [Status report, Eagle] She felt the thick fog moving back into her mind as the answer flew out "Target is dead, evidence will be removed, preparing for extraction."

"Gute Arbeit" [Good Work] The commlink chirped once more before going silent. Eagle watched as the Soldier picked up the vial and cork, stashing them in his pocket before going around Eagle back into the hallway. From there it was a blur back to the base, the moment they landed Hydra guards filed out and surrounded them. Directing both through the dark hallways to the room with the chair. The Eagle froze, vaguely she remembered being forced into the chair but something pushed against her back, directing her off to the side. Silently she watched as the Soldier was pushed into the chair and a man in a white lab coat came forward, looking for any wounds on the Soldier. Once he was satisfied the scientist backed away and let the Soldiers handler ask him about the mission. After he had finished Eagle watched as the soldier was forced into the chair. Immediately it started humming and a bit was shoved into his mouth. The Eagle felt herself take a step back but was restrained by the guards around her "Lass mich Gehen" [Get your hands off me] she growled, almost hissed. But her eyes were drawn to the Soldier, the metal plates went down and as the chair leaned back he started to scream. The Eagle's hands went to her ears, the tortured sound reverberating through her head. Someone was talking to her but she couldn't concentrate, a moment later she felt a pain in her arm and everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N" I know I should only do 1 chapter a week but I can't help myself. I have no idea what the technical terms for the commanders/handlers are, so I apologize for that :)**

**Enjoy!  
**

Eagle bolted upright, finding herself on a hard cot on a stone floor in a dark room. Her head throbbed and her vision blurred around the edges, every movement only made the pain worse. The Eagle remembered nothing of what had happened, only the chair and the tortured screams from. . . Someone but nothing surfaced. Her pain was pushed to the back of her mind when someone entered her room, her handler. Vaguely she recognized him as he spoke: "Adler, Steh auf, du hast eine andere Mission" [Get up, you have another mission] Involuntarily her limbs stood and after putting on her wings Eagle followed her handler back through the maze of hallways to a room, she knew she had been there before. But this time there was no one else in the room, only a map hung on the wall.

"Adler, this mission is solo. Two targets. Level three. You leave immediately. Use your enhancement as needed. Go to the weapons room, take a commlink, and then go." Eagle nodded blankly and left the room, collecting the commlink and picking up a bow and several small guns. Making her way to the roof The Eagle jumped off and felt the wind ruffle her wings and they felt like they were apart of her, like it was meant to be. The Eagle soared through the sky, often staying above the clouds and out of sight. She arrived at dusk to the location and watched as her targets exited a house, noting the nervous looks they gave each other. After landing on the ground Eagle shuddered, letting the light filter through her body, rendering her almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Creeping closer Eagle took her bow out and notched an arrow, aiming for one of the target's neck and letting the arrow fly. It hit home and the first target fell, the other two whipped around and looked for whoever had fired the arrow but The Eagle had vanished. Her wings pulling her up into the air where she rapid-fired two more arrows, hitting exactly where she had aimed. Something tickled at the back of the Eagle's mind, she had another power but she couldn't remember what. After making sure there were no other witnesses The Eagle collected the targets and disposed of the bodies.

Within the first year The Eagle was with Hydra she stopped speaking completely. Her speech turning to varying clicks and whistles, The Eagles mental distress going deeper then anyone knew. Only when commanded to speak did her mouth form words. 2011 ended and 2012 came, often Eagle heard her handler whispering to others about a group called "the Avengers" and a timeline but anything retained disappeared once her mind was wiped. 2012 merged into 2013 and rapidly it became 2014. The Eagle became a famed ghost story, joining the Soldier's stories. Her hands became bloodier and bloodier, yet Hydra was always careful to keep The Eagle's mind fresh. Many said that the winged person would appear and disappear within an instant, her arrow always struck its mark. Some said that she didn't even look human with the metal talons that grew out of her nails, thanks to a surgery done by Hydra scientists, agents had complained about The Eagle's conscious screams that had echoed through the hallways. Her canine teeth had been sharpened and often they tried to infuse metal into her teeth and bones to strengthen them. Her body embellished many scars from the various experiments Hydra conducted. The Eagle's life became a murky blur of missions. She seemed to actually take on the role as it was designed. Almost making it better then Hydra had planned.

The Eagle was kept in the dark about the timeline until one night she was woken from her fitful sleep, her handler waiting in the doorway. Hissing in annoyance she stood, wincing at the pain where the metal had been most recently infused. Before following the handler, her wings always on. The room she was brought to was full of people and they all silenced when Eagle entered, her eyes immediately where drawn to the silent, metal-armed observer in the back but she hissed at everyone in the room. Silently she moved over to stand beside him and awaited orders. The Eagle's handler argued with the others for a moment before straightening and making eye contact with the Eagle.

"Adler, recently our timeline has been moved up and tonight you will visit our leader with the Soldier." The Eagle let out a series of clicks, her eyes roving around the room. Many of the agents looked terrified of her but several had a proud gleam in their eyes.

Traveling to the leader's mansion was a blur, Eagle quietly followed the Soldier into a back entrance to the house. Something about the house seemed too prideful and the Eagle hated the man immidiatly.

"When he comes in block the doorway." The Soldiers low rumble cut through the fog in the Eagle's mind as she clicked her teeth together and waited in the shadows, her wings relaxed. Moments later a tall man came in and started rifling through the fridge. Eagle moved to the doorway and made sure her wings flared out menacingly behind her, the silver feathers catching the light. She watched as the man turned and caught sight of the Soldier sitting at his table. Immediately the man tensed but his voice was calm as he asked: "Want some Milk?". The Eagle chose that moment to hiss, satisfaction bubbling up as the man jumped and clutched his chest as he caught sight of her in full uniform but quickly his face turned from one of surprise to one of pride. "Your the one we kidnapped several years ago, correct? Look at you now, what a powerful, beautiful weapon." The man came closer but was cut off by a woman's voice, sounding from the hallway. "Mr. Peirce, I'm going now. Bye-bye!"

"Goodnight Renata" he waited until the door closed before coming to stand before the Eagle. His hand moved towards the Eagle but she hissed and brought a hand up,her retractable talons flashing in the moonlight.

"Not much of a talker are we?" The man moved away but froze when the woman's voice sounded again.

"Mr. Peirce? I forgot my phone Sir. . ."

"Oh Renata, if only you had knocked..." In an instant, the man had drawn a gun and shot her. Something loosened in The Eagle's mind, the woman had features similar to someone the Eagle had known. Before... Quickly she shook the feeling off, this was her mission and she had to complete it. The meeting took an hour and then they were gone, the plan set in stone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N" I really enjoyed writing this one, Let me know what you think!  
**

In New York, Captain America and Black Widow have gone to the only person who isn't trying to kill them.

The Eagle clicked her teeth together as she carried the Soldier to the roof of a black car speeding down the highway. Once he had been dropped Eagle landed on a gray van several feet behind where Soldier was and hooked her talons into the metal. Preparing for impact. Her full suit was on along with the cowl. Her hair had regrown and was now kept in a tight braid at the back of her head. Wings flared and ready for the moment the van hit the car, she launched into the sky and watched as the targets scattered. Reinforcements jumped out of the van and the Eagle heard her instructions in the commlink, go for the grounded flyer known as Falcon. She spotted him behind a car and dove, tucking her wings in. Hitting him with full force the Falcon was thrown backward but his reflexes were faster then she had calculated. The minute she hit him, he pushed her back and the Eagle slid backward, her talons scraping the cement as cars swerved around them. In the background, she heard gunshots but she had a mission. Standing, The Eagle flared her wings to their full length, letting the silver and gold feathers flash in the sunlight.

"Holy crap-" the man muttered before speaking to what the Eagle assumed was a commlink "- Steve there's another one and she's got sparkly wings." Swiftly the Eagle pulled out her bow and rapid-fired several arrows at the man but he dodged just as fast.

"Erlaubnis zu verschwinden" [Permission to vanish] she murmured. "Gewährt" [Granted]. The moment the word was uttered Eagle let the light filter through and she disappeared. A grin ghosted her lips as she watched the man's face pale and go from a look of shock to fear. "SHE'S GONE STEVE, SHE POOFED" he shrieked. Eagle launched herself at the man, blindly he tried hitting the air but each time The Eagle was ready, meeting it with a move of her own. Until his knife struck her leg and blood gushed out, enabling him to see her. The Eagle stumbled and that gave him just enough time to push her backward and cut her again, this time slicing the tip of her wing and just above her left eye. Eagle felt a stabbing, burning pain as blood poured from her wounds and her left eye swelled shut. The Eagle tried in vain to fight him but having only one eye had thrown her off balance. Her commlink buzzed "Eagle, get out of there, Soldier needs assistance." Eagle's mind shifted and her jets launched her in the air, she knew her wing was cut but it still enabled her to glide to the ground. Just in time for her to hear the Soldiers voice, more anguish in it then she had ever heard

"Who the heck is Bucky?" she watched as he aimed to fire but suddenly Captain America was pushed out of the way by Falcon. The Eagle sprinted over and prepared to jump back into battle but as she drew her bow to fire the sound of a grenade launcher played in her ears and she was catapulted backward. Smoke blinding everything. "Geh raus" [Get Out] a voice commanded in her ear, she detected a note of anger in the voice. The Eagle pulled herself shakily to her feet and limped after the Soldier, whose eyes were clearer than ever before. By the time the air had cleared they were gone. The Eagle had disappeared around the corner and watched as Hydra guards surrounded the targets.

"Adler, geh zur Extraktion." [Eagle, go to extraction] She clicked her teeth together and went down an alleyway to were several guards where waiting. They opened an invisible hatch in the cement and led her down into the vault of a bank. The Soldier was already there, sitting in the chair, a pained look on his face. Eagle was ushered to the far side of the room, she quietly waited as her suit retracted before taking off her wings to investigate the damages. Technicians started to clean and stitch her wounds and she hissed under her breath in pain. Deciding that her wings could be fixed later The Eagle shrugged them back on and awaited orders. Wincing as her eye wound was cleaned and bloody tears fell from her eye. Suddenly the soldier's arm shot out, connecting with one of the technician's jaws. Guns were pointed at him and his breathing was ragged. Everyone in the room froze when the door clanged and in came the man from the night before, followed by others with guns. The man's cold eyes snaked to the Soldier as he approached him, his voice echoing through the room "Mission report" The Eagle stepped forward to speak but stopped when her handler gave her a stern look.

"Mission report now." She waited for the Soldier to report as he usually did but something was different, he stared blankly ahead. The Eagle's muscles tensed as the man got into the Soldier's face and watched him for a moment. Suddenly his hand went out and he slapped the Soldier. Something inside Eagle snapped and she burst forward, her wings flapping behind her, pushing her way in front of the Soldier, becoming a wedge between the two men. Her wings flared, sending everyone in the room a step back as she barred her sharpened teeth, hissing menacingly. Her talons grew from her nails and she flexed her fingers, slicing at the air. Almost daring someone to come forward. Her green cat-like eyes followed the man's movement as he stood face-to-face with The Eagle.

"How nice, to have a friend like that-." he snarled "-but unfortunately for you, we aren't here to make friends. Move Eagle." For the first time in years the Eagle became aware that something wasn't right, her mind became a battleground, warring with itself. Yet slowly she brought her wings in closely and stepped aside, still staying by the Soldier. The Eagle crossed her arms and tried to look calm but her eyes shot around the room, her thoughts a jumble._ "I am the Eagle. I have a mission"_ played in her mind but something new started to overtake the fog _"I am a prisoner. Taken against my will"_. The Eagle shook her head and tried to focus on what the Soldier was saying- "the man on the bridge. . . Who was he?" In Eagle's mind the scene from earlier played- the man called Captain America seemed to have known the Soldier.

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment."

"I knew him." The words bounced around Eagles' mind, he knew him. Before...before...What? But pain flared so sharp in the Eagles mind that she dropped the thought completely, her hand going to her head and her face one of pain. Anything else said was a blur, The Eagle felt a sharp pain in her arm and looked to see some sort of brightly colored dart in her skin. A sedative. Moments later she felt herself fall to the ground.

_"Happy Birthday!" They shouted as the girl blew out the candles on a brightly colored cake, a grin on her face._

_The memory shifted to the same girl but an older version, in a house by herself. A gun clutched to her chest as she dialed something on a phone, speaking into it quietly "Someones outside my house, help, they've come, they've come." Her voice cracked at the end and silent tears started to travel down her face. The moment she finished speaking the front door blew off its hinges and the girl fired her gun blindly. People came into the house and surrounded her. "No please no" the girl sobbed._

The Eagle bolted upright, a scream in her throat but it died when she realized she was back on her cot on the floor. Her wings were beside her, the slit in them gone. The Eagle tenderly stood and slipped the wings on, taking a deep breath as their weight settled on her waist and shoulders. She vaguely remembered yesterday's mission but everything ached as the door to her room opened to reveal her handler.

"Project Insight has begun."

The Eagle had been instructed to stay out of sight until the Soldier needed her. So she waited quietly on the top of a building, her handler's words playing in her mind "Today we give humanity a push in the right direction. But everyone needs to do their part." Her hands fiddled with one of her throwing stars, only when she dropped it did the Eagle realize she was shaking like a leaf. Her tongue clicked against her teeth in dismay, the Eagle wasn't used to her body disobeying orders. Her wounds from the day before had scabbed over but still burned whenever she moved. The Eagle's thoughts stalled as she watched three large hovercrafts rise from the lake, within moments she saw people running around on decks and machine guns firing at a flyer. Her teeth chattered against each other as each shot came closer than the last. Her hand went to her cowl and her fingers tapped the buttons on the side, goggles forming over her eyes, and zooming in on the Falcon as he landed on one of the helicarriers Taking out several Hydra guards in the process. A shooter jet whizzed around and chased the Falcon off the deck where he free-fell before activating his wings."Autorisation d'enage" [Permission to engage] she murmured into her commlink, mixing the letters with various clicks and whistles.

"Noch nicht Adler" [Not yet Eagle] She growled and watched as Falcon disappeared beneath a helicarrier, the jet still following. Eagle stood from her crouching position and paced back and forth on the roof, repeating once more "Permission de s'engager maintenant" [Permission to engage now]

Noch Nicht!" [Not yet!] her handler snapped as Eagle watched the Falcon use their missiles against them. He disappeared under the helicarrier once again but moments later he flew out from under.

"Adler, Suivez le soldat d'en haut, soyez prêt à intervenir" [Eagle, Track Soldier from above, be ready to step in] The command jolted The Eagle back to her senses as she jumped off the building, waiting until the last possible moment before opening her wings and taking to the sky. The Eagle located the Soldier and circled above, she clicked her teeth impatiently, waiting until she could engage. The Soldier was blowing up any ships on the ground before pilots could get into them. She watched as the soldier got into a plane and flew off.

"Clean up after him and make sure no one gets off the ground." her commlink chirped and the Eagle's mind latched onto the command as she dove, landing on the air-strip. Her nails grew and the Eagle pulled throwing stars out of one of her many pockets. Only a few were left on the ground and the Eagle quickly took care of them.

"berücksichtigt" [taken care of] once again the Eagle changed many syllables to clicks.

"Nimm den Flyer runter" [take down the flyer], a whistle was The Eagles only response as she dove towards Falcon who was diving towards a free-falling Captain America. The Falcon caught Captain America just as Eagle caught up, tailing them until Falcon dropped Captain America on the helicarrier. From afar the Eagle saw Soldier waiting behind a crate, diving she caught the Falcon off guard and pushed him into a crate just as Soldier took on Captain America. Falcon's arms whipped out guns and he hovered in the air, shooting at Eagle as she flew up with throwing stars in her hands. Turning to fly away Falcon's wing was shot with a hook. The Eagle turned to see Soldier had shot something and pulled Falcon to the ground, ripping one of his wings off and pushing him off the helicarrier. Eagle looked over the edge and watched as Falcon deployed a parachute and fluttered to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye Eagle saw Captain America disappear into the ship. "Ich folge ihm" [I'll follow him]

"Nein, er ist meine Mission" [No, he's my mission] The Eagle heard the Soldier's gruff voice as it sounded over the commlink but the Eagle detected a note of pain in it. Eagle jumped off the helicarrier and flew around it, watching as Captain America confronted Soldier. Mere moments later they both sprung into action, Captain America threw his shield at the Soldier but he caught it and fired one of his guns. One of the bullets grazed Captian America's side and he winced in pain but threw Soldier back with his shield. Eagle watched them fight but when she tried to fly closer a bullet whizzed past her wings. The Eagle whipped around to see Falcon firing from the ground. Her wings closed around herself as Eagle dove towards the ground like a bullet, flaring her wings right before hitting Falcon. The wind knocked him over and Eagle pulled out her remaining four throwing stars one lodged itself in his armor and another grazed his arm but the other two he blocked. The Eagle heard his commlink beep and gurgled voices as he murmured "I'm coming" before throwing a grenade at Eagle. The blast threw Eagle backward and her head slammed into the cement, her ears momentarily deafened. The Eagle sat up, leaning to the side and threw up, coughing and hacking from the smoke. She felt shrapnel in her face and hair but her mind was on the mission. The Falcon was gone and in the commlink she could hear the Soldier's panicked voice. From behind her she heard the crash and a blast of heat burst against her, turning The Eagle saw that the helicarriers were shooting each other and crashing towards the ground.

"Adler, hol den Soldaten zurück" [Eagle, retrieve the Soldier] The Eagle nodded and shakily stood, pieces of cement falling off of her suit. Her chest heaved as she re-adjusted the cowl and took to the skies. The Eagle stopped dead when she saw that the Soldier was stuck underneath a metal bar, inside the last helicarrier that was crashing into the lake. Her jets pulsed as she shot towards him, almost barreling over Captain America as he struggled to lift the bar. The Eagle grabbed onto it and hooked her talons into the metal, using her wings to help pull the metal off. He just barely wiggled out before the glass underneath started to crack and break. The Soldier stood and stared at Captain America, a crazed look in his eyes. The Eagle took a step back, sensing that this was between them.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes." The Eagle felt her mind split as Captain America talked to the Soldier. _"he has a name...But I am The Eagle"_ she thought, yet nothing surfaced through the murkiness.

"Shut up!" The Soldier jerked forward and punched Captain America. Her jaw dropped when Captain America took off his helmet and spoke "I'm not going to fight you Buck. You're my friend."

"And your my mission."

The Eagle took a step back, stumbling on the wreckage as her mind warred between the mission and a life she had once had, the name that had once been her own. The Soldier had tackled Captain America and was repeatedly punching him, saying one thing over and over again, as if trying to convince himself of the phrase. Just as The Eagle was

"You're my mission, You're my mission." yet he paused when Captain America spoke one more time, his face bloodied and right eye swelled shut.

"Then finish it, because I'm with you to the end of the line pal." The Eagle stumbled forward, preparing to fly away but at that moment a flaming metal support fell, taking half of her right-wing with it. A piece of ash fell on her left-wing and multiple feathers melted away. The Eagle fell, her jets disabled and wings close to ruin, she tried her best to land but ended up crashing into trees. She felt her nose crack and let out a blood-curdling scream as branches slapped her face and bruised her broken body. The Eagle knew she blacked out for a moment because she woke on the ground in a crumpled pile close to the water's edge, waves lazily lapped at her ankles. Slowly she pulled herself to a tree and leaned against it, hissing in pain as her suit retracted. The Eagle leaned her head back, everything felt upside down and backward. She watched through her right eye as the helicarrier crashed into the water. A new thought came into The Eagle's mind _Freedom_. Her breaths were ragged as she tore the cowl off her face, along with the commlink. A splashing sound drew her eyes to the water where she saw the Soldier dragging an unconscious Captain America out of the water and dropped him on the bank. The Eagle felt herself frown and used the tree as an anchor as she pulled herself to her unsteady feet. Staring as the Soldier watched Captain America stutter and take in a breath. The Soldier turned and started to walk away but stopped when he caught sight of The Eagle, battered and broken, watching. Silently he came over and picked her broken wing off the ground, looking at her, his eyes asking if she could walk. She clicked her tongue against her teeth and stumbled after the Soldier as they started to walk away. Away from Hydra, away from Chains and towards a new beginning.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- I love this chapter, by far it is one of my favorites! I tried to stay close to the movie but add my own twist on a couple of things and it turned out really well. **

**Enjoy! (I know I did) **

**note- I might come back and change a few things later so just keep that in mind.-**

The Eagle had been instructed to stay out of sight until the Soldier needed her. So she waited quietly on the top of a building, her handler's words playing in her mind "Today we give humanity a push in the right direction. But everyone needs to do their part." Her hands fiddled with one of her throwing stars, only when it clattered to the ground did the Eagle realize she was shaking like a leaf. Her tongue clicked against her teeth in dismay, the Eagle wasn't used to her body disobeying orders. Her wounds from the day before had scabbed over but still burned whenever she moved. The Eagle's thoughts stalled as she watched three large hovercrafts rise from the lake, within moments she saw people running around on decks and machine guns firing at a flyer. Her teeth chattered against each other as each shot came closer than the last. Her hand went to her cowl and her fingers tapped the buttons on the side, goggles forming over her eyes, and zooming in on the Falcon as he landed on one of the helicarriers Taking out several Hydra guards in the process. A shooter jet whizzed around and chased the Falcon off the deck where he free-fell before activating his wings."Autorisation d'enage" [Permission to engage] she murmured into her commlink, mixing the letters with various clicks and whistles.  
"Noch nicht Adler" [Not yet Eagle] She growled and watched as Falcon disappeared beneath a helicarrier, the jet still following. Eagle stood from her crouching position and paced back and forth on the roof, repeating once more "Permission de s'engager maintenant" [Permission to engage now]

Noch Nicht!" [Not yet!] her handler snapped as Eagle watched the Falcon use their missiles against them. He disappeared under the helicarrier once again but moments later he flew out from under.  
"Adler, Suivez le soldat d'en haut, soyez prêt à intervenir" [Eagle, Track Soldier from above, be ready to step in] The command jolted The Eagle back to her senses as she jumped off the building, waiting until the last possible moment before opening her wings and taking to the sky. The Eagle located the Soldier and circled above, she clicked her teeth impatiently, waiting until she could engage. The Soldier was blowing up any ships on the ground before pilots could get into them. She watched as the soldier got into a plane and flew off.  
"Clean up after him and make sure no one gets off the ground." her commlink chirped and the Eagle's mind latched onto the command as she dove, landing on the air-strip. Her nails grew and the Eagle pulled throwing stars out of one of her many pockets. Only a few were left on the ground and the Eagle quickly took care of them.  
"berücksichtigt" [taken care of] once again the Eagle changed many syllables to clicks.  
"Nimm den Flyer runter" [take down the flyer], a whistle was The Eagles only response as she dove towards Falcon who was flying towards a free-falling Captain America. The Falcon caught Captain America just as Eagle caught up, tailing them until Captain America was dropped on the helicarrier. From afar the Eagle saw Soldier waiting behind a crate, diving she caught the Falcon off guard and pushed him into a crate just as Soldier took on Captain America. Falcon's arms whipped out guns and he hovered in the air, shooting at Eagle as she flew up with throwing stars in her hands. Turning to fly away Falcon's wing was shot with a hook. The Eagle turned to see Soldier had shot something and pulled Falcon to the ground, ripping one of his wings off and pushing him off the helicarrier. Eagle looked over the edge and watched as Falcon deployed a parachute and fluttered to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Eagle saw Captain America disappear into the ship. "Ich folge ihm" [I'll follow him]  
"Nein, er ist meine Mission" [No, he's my mission] The Eagle heard the Soldier's gruff voice as it sounded over the commlink but the Eagle detected a note of pain in it. She jumped off the helicarrier and flew around it, watching as Captain America confronted Soldier. Mere moments later they both sprung into action, Captain America threw his shield at Soldier but he caught it and fired one of his guns. One of the bullets grazed Captian America's side and he winced in pain but threw Soldier back with his shield. Eagle watched them fight but when she tried to fly closer a bullet whizzed past her wings. The Eagle whipped around to see Falcon firing from the ground. Her wings closed around herself as Eagle shot towards the ground, flaring her wings right before hitting Falcon. The wind knocked him over and Eagle pulled out her remaining four throwing stars one lodged itself in his armor but the other three he blocked. The Eagle heard his commlink beep and gurgled voices as he murmured "I'm coming" before throwing a grenade at Eagle. The blast threw Eagle backward and her head slammed into the cement, her ears momentarily deafened. The Eagle sat up, leaning to the side and threw up, coughing and hacking from the smoke. She felt shrapnel in her hair and lodged on her face but her mind was on the mission. The Falcon was gone and in the commlink, she could hear the Soldier's panicked voice. From behind her she heard a deafening crash and a blast of heat burst against her, turning The Eagle saw that the helicarriers were shooting each other and crashing towards the ground.  
"Adler, hol den Soldaten zurück" [Eagle, retrieve the Soldier] The Eagle nodded and shakily stood, pieces of cement falling off of her suit. Her chest heaved as she re-adjusted the cowl and took to the skies. The Eagle stopped dead when she saw that the Soldier was stuck underneath a metal bar, inside the last helicarrier that was crashing into the lake. Her jets pulsed as she shot towards him, almost barreling over Captain America as he struggled to lift the bar. The Eagle grabbed onto it and hooked her talons into the metal, using her wings to help pull the metal off. He just barely wiggled out before the glass underneath started to crack and break. The Soldier stood and stared at Captain America, a crazed look in his eyes. The Eagle took a step back, sensing that this was between them.  
"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes." The Eagle felt her mind split as Captain America talked to the Soldier. _"he has a name,"_ she thought, yet nothing surfaced through the murkiness as she tried to remember hers.  
"Shut up!" The Soldier jerked forward and punched Captain America. Her jaw dropped when Captain America took off his helmet and spoke "I'm not going to fight you, Buck. You're my friend."  
"And your my mission."  
The Eagle took a step back, stumbling on the wreckage as her mind warred between the mission and a life she had once had, the name that had once been her own, people and places flashed before her eyes. The Soldier had tackled Captain America and was repeatedly punching him, saying one thing over and over again, as if trying to convince himself of the phrase. Just as The Eagle was  
"You're my mission, You're my mission." yet he paused when Captain America spoke one more time, his face bloodied and right eye swelled shut.  
"Then finish it, because I'm with you to the end of the line pal."

The Eagle stumbled forward, preparing to fly away but at that moment a flaming metal support fell, taking half of her right-wing with it. A piece of ash fell on her left-wing and multiple feathers melted away. The Eagle fell, her jets disabled and wings close to ruin, she tried her best to land but ended up crashing into trees. She felt her nose crack and let out a blood-curdling scream as branches slapped her face and bruised her broken body. The Eagle knew she blacked out for a moment because she woke on the ground in a crumpled pile close to the water's edge. Waves lapped at her ankles as she slowly pulled herself to a tree and leaned against it, hissing in pain as her suit retracted. The Eagle leaned her head back, everything felt upside down and backward. She watched through her right eye as the helicarrier crashed into the water. A new thought came into The Eagle's mind _Freedom. _

Her breaths were ragged as she tore the cowl off her face, the goggles had already retracted. A splashing sound drew her eyes to the water where she saw the Soldier dragging an unconscious Captain America out of the water and dropping him on the bank. The Eagle felt herself frown and used the tree as an anchor as she pulled herself to her unsteady feet. Staring as the Soldier watched Captain America stutter and take in a breath. The Soldier turned and started to walk away but stopped when he caught sight of The Eagle, battered and broken, watching. Silently he came over and picked her broken wing off the ground, looking at her, his eyes asking if she could walk. She clicked her tongue against her teeth and stumbled after the Soldier as they started to walk away. Away from Hydra, away from chains and towards a new beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Once again I LOVED writing this, it really starts to show Aubrey's character. This one is way longer than the last chapters I've been posting. Hopefully, they keep getting longer and longer :P**

**Enjoy!**

**Also- I apologize for any bad grammar.**

The Eagle had followed Soldier to a safe-house several blocks away from the helicarrier crash. The silence was their companion, even as they broke into the safehouse. The door banged against the wall as they entered and the Eagle paused by the kitchen. Unlatching her bow and arrow, dropping them to the ground, along with her knife and pistol. Before numbly sliding into a chair at the small dining table, unsure with herself for the first time in four years. The Soldier did the same in the chair across from her, both were sucked into their own minds. The Eagle's mind was battling the fog that had made it's home in her head. Swiping her hand down her face, she paused, realizing that her wounds were still bleeding. The Eagle stood and disappeared into the bathroom, her eyes avoiding the mirror. She knew that her consciousness was far from ready to see her face. The Eagle reappeared with a first aid kit. Striding over to the kitchen, she turned on the faucet, mixing water with antiseptic. Wordlessly her mind repeated the first aid instructions Hydra had taught her.

Dunking a rag in the mixture she wiped broken glass off her face and neck, the rag staining red. The Eagle hissed in pain and clicked her teeth together in annoyance as shrapnel fell from her face. She felt the Soldiers eyes on her and paused, her green eyes flitting to him. He shifted in his seat, his icy gaze going back to the table. The Eagle quietly limped over with another rag, the bowl of antiseptic/water and, the first aid kit and set it on the table. She slipped back into the chair and shrugged off what was left of her wings. Carelessly she dropped them on the ground before taking ointment out of the kit and applying it to her cuts, sucking in a breath as it stung. Gently she fingered the cuts, trying to see if they needed stitches. Relived that they didn't, The Eagle put medical tape over them and on her broken nose. The Eagle paused and watched as the Soldier patched his own wounds, his metal arm shining in the dusk sunlight coming through the windows. The Eagle opened her mouth to speak but no words formed. For the first time in four years, the Eagle was forced to come up with her own words. Her voice cracked and the words felt huge in her mouth, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration.

"I. . . Can. . take. . first, watch" several of the syllables mixed with clicks and slurs. The Soldier stopped and slowly shook his head, grunting "No." Eagle paused before nodding and standing to her feet, disappearing into the bedroom, the door quietly clicking shut behind her. Gingerly she perched on the mattress on the floor before curling under the covers, asleep in moments, her bruised body trembling in relief. Yet the sleep was anything but peaceful, nightmares haunted her mind.

"_Fraulein, Our Eagle. We have been testing you to see if you are truly worthy of being our Adler. You have tested very high and so yesterday they injected you with your first round of serum. This serum is going to make you a strong and powerful Adler." She cut him off, her voice seething with fury_

"_My name is Aubrey, not Adler or Eagle. Just Aubrey." she was going to say more but silenced when the man's hand slapped her cheek. Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt her cheek grow hot with agony, holding in a shuddering breath she quietly listened to the man_

"_You are The Adler and nothing else! Do you hear me, Adler?" The girl shook her head, saying quietly_

"_No"_

"_What did you say?" Venom was in the man's voice_

"_I said NO!" despite where she was, she reached out and pushed the man away from her. Hands held her down as she screamed and hit anything she could. Cold metal plates slammed against her forehead and she felt the machine's low hum rumble in her chest. Fear blossomed and she screamed_

"_NO PLEASE NO, I WANT TO REMEMBER"_

Darkness took over the Eagles consciousness but moments later color returned and her mind lit up.

"_What is your name?" a man asked as he lunged at the Eagle, his fist connecting with her face_

"_My name is Aub….Eagle." the girl cried as she fell backward onto the ground, blocking the man's next hit. He stopped and backed away, his voice holding no sympathy_

"_Then get up Eagle and complete your mission." The girl felt something in her mind that wanted to obey the command._

"_I can't" she whimpered as the man pushed the gun into her hand._

"_You will" he snarled, the command bounced in the girl's mind as she aimed her gun and the deafening noise sounded in the room. Something dark and wet splattered all over the girl and she felt acid shooting up her throat._

The Eagle shot up and scrambled towards the bathroom that connected to the bedroom. Her stomach heaved and she threw up in the toilet, sobs escaping her lips. The Eagle's stomach emptied completely before she could sit back on the cold tile, leaning her head against the wall. The cold tile helped The Eagle center herself, silent tears streamed down her face as she sat in darkness. The Eagle's breathing was uneven and ragged. In the background, she heard the bedroom door open but her body wouldn't let her move. The light in the bathroom was flicked on and she rotated around to see the Soldier watching her, a concerned look in his eye. He disappeared back out of the bathroom before reappearing with a plastic water bottle, holding it out to her. The Eagle tentatively reached out and took the bottle, her hands shaking as she uncapped it, rinsing her mouth out before drinking. The Soldier cautiously settled on the ground, leaning against the door frame. They sat in silence until the Soldier whispered "You… Remembered something, didn't you." She nodded and clicked her tongue against her teeth, taking a breath before trying to speak

"When I...was first at...Hydra...I remembered the first..time I was in the chair...I..begged them not too...they told me my name was Un Adler. Then it changed...to during my training when I had to..shoot someone. His blood-spattered all over me." She gagged, remembering the wet, sticky feel. The Soldier nodded and seemed to sense that just being there was helping the Eagle calm down, he opened his mouth to speak but hesitated and closed it again. Taking a deep breath she stuttered "I..can..take..watch now" The Soldiers brow scrunched

"It's only been a couple of hours."

"I...can't go back...to sleep." The Eagle clicked her teeth together, the sound comforting as she stuttered "What's...the mission now."

The Soldier sighed heavily and thought about it for a moment

"To live" the words seemed to fill up the small bathroom.

"I don't...remember...how to do that." She sniffled

"That's why it's the mission." The Eagle nodded and got to her feet, the Soldier doing the same. She left the bedroom and returned to the kitchen table, retrieving her pistol just in case. The Soldier cleared his throat

"I found some extra clothes in the kitchen." She whistled softly in response and the door to the bedroom clicked. The pants were comfortable but Eagle disliked the way the shirt made her arms vulnerable. The rest of the night passed quietly, the Eagle passed the time trying to salvage her wings, seeing if any repair was even possible. She tried not to think about anything, her mind kept wandering back to the new mission, she would repeat quietly to herself "Eagle, deine Mission ist es zu leben" [Eagle, your mission is to live]. Throughout the night, every now and then The Eagle would hear noises from the bedroom, and just as the sun had started to rise the bedroom door opened and the Soldier came out. His eyes were bloodshot. The Eagle noticed immediately and chattered her teeth, forgetting momentarily that he wouldn't understand. Yet the Soldier seemed to know what she was asking and nodded, going to the kitchen and rummaging around, not wanting to talk about it. Clearing her throat The Eagle tried to change the subject;

"What...is the first step..to living...again" she heard the rummaging stop and watched as he stood upright, his eyes full of battling emotions.

"A name...I think."

"Like... Der Adler und der Wintersoldat?" [The Eagle and the Winter Soldier?] the German rolled off of her tongue with ease.

"No, the name we had before Hydra." A shiver traveled down the Eagle's spine when Hydra was mentioned but something in her mind emerged from the darkness. "Aubrey..-" she whispered, her mind latching onto the name, afraid it would drift back into the darkness. "-It doesn't...feel like it's mine, it's...big"

"You want a new one?"

"No, something...shorter." The Soldier grew quiet as he pulled something out of the cupboard and inspected it. The Eagle assumed he was giving her time to think but suddenly he pipped up: "How about Brie."

"Brie… It's….nice" a small smile flitted onto Aubrey's face, the name felt like a symbol to her. Like she was shedding a skin, The Eagle was no longer a weapon, but a person. She looked at the Soldier, "What..about you?"

"Bucky.." The name seemed to echo through the house.

"Okay well, It's nice to meet you Bucky" Her smile turned to a full-fledged grin, her sharpened canines pricking her skin slightly.

"Nice to meet you too, Brie. Want some-" he paused to inspect the can again "-canned chili..?" Aubrey felt her face scrunch in dislike and Bucky looked at her questioningly

"I remember not...likingfchili but...I guess it's worth a try." Her stomach rumbled hungrily at the mention of food and Bucky's face stretched into a tentative smile as he got a pot and poured two cans of chili in. Aubrey stood and opened the shades around the house, coughing as the dust was disturbed. Before moving her wings over to the small kitchen island. Nimbly, Aubrey started to bend the metal frames back to their original shape, collecting any feathers that fell off in the process. Inspecting her jets, Aubrey was relieved to find that they were in perfect shape...except for the twigs and leaves stuck in them. Next, she picked up her right-wing and tried to figure out how to attach it back to the jets. During this time she had started clicking her tongue quietly to herself, every now and then she whistled quietly out of habit. The feeling of being watched prickled down her neck and she looked up to see Bucky quietly observing her. "What?"

"Why do you want to fix them?" Aubrey paused and looked down at her wings, stretched out on the island, their tips hanging off the edges. "They….were mine even before Hydra…. Hydra improved them and the wings give me a sense of…-" It took Aubrey a moment to find the right word "- peace." Bucky nodded and turned to check the chili, deciding it was done he got bowls out and ladled it into them. Leaving her wings on the island, Aubrey took a bowl and sat at the 2-person, rickety, dining table. The sound of slurping was the only one as they both took a bite of the chili, Aubrey sputtered slightly and felt her tongue tingle. "My tongue...is..not right" she stuttered, coughing into her elbow.

"I think...that's the spice. Or it is more flavor then we are used to" Bucky wasn't coughing but his face had tinged red.

"It's...squishy"

"It's supposed to be like that...I think" Bucky continued eating but Aubrey got up, going to the fridge and opening it, it was empty.

"We need milk...Or food in general."

"Why do we need milk?"

"I...don't know…. Umm… I think it helps with spicy food-." Her mind seemed to remember that fact from somewhere. She snickered as the next sentence popped out of her mouth"-things must have changed...a lot since the olden days. Milk was..is a common drink now."

"I'm not _that_ old"

"Suuree" Aubrey felt warmth in her chest and wondered if this was what her life had been like before. Her lungs sucked in a breath as something emerged from the fog...her family.

"You remembered something?" She took a breath before nodding

"Do you think….is there any way if I could locate my family….could I send a message to them?"

"I think we need to take it one step at a time. We need money, Hydra is still looking for us."

"I could try and hack into Hydra's accounts but I need a computer…"

"Knock yourself out-" He shrugged and took his bowl over to the sink, rinsing it out. "- I'm going to do a perimeter." His footsteps echoed through the house as the door closed and Aubrey was left by herself. She rinsed her bowl and decided to take inventory of the safe-house, making sure to keep her pistol nearby in case of an emergency. Bucky came back to cluttered counters and blankets littering the table. His brow furrowed as he scanned the room for Aubrey, starting to worry. A banging sounded from the bedroom and Bucky slowly went in, his gun loaded. Only to find Aubrey half inside the bathroom cabinet, fiddling with something, the mirror was also missing. He leaned against the doorframe, waiting until she noticed him. Aubrey started to back out but when she saw Bucky she startled and her head hit the edge. Hissing, she wiggled out and sat up, rubbing the bump that was forming on her already bruised forehead.

" 'm sorry Brie-" he started to apologize but Aubrey cut him off.

"Should have heard you."

"What are you doing?"

"Something was stuck on the wood. I was cleaning it"

"So you took everything out and spewed it everywhere?" Aubrey's face flamed as she murmured "no... needed to take inventory" Bucky nodded, saying he would be in the kitchen folding blankets. "Don't break the computer, it's underneath the blankets"

Buckys only reply was a grunt as he left Aubrey to her cleaning. Truthfully, the cleaning kept Aubrey's mind busy and did for the rest of the day. Sensing she needed some time alone Bucky left Aubrey to her own devices. The day passed in a blur and by nighttime Aubrey had found several burner phones, a computer, a credit card, and multiple other gadgets. She sat stiffly on the couch, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Hydra had taught her to hack and Aubrey was more than happy to use it against them. Within minutes she had hacked into one of the accounts and started to run money through fake names before finally loading it onto the card she had found. She grinned, proud of herself but the grin faded when Bucky appeared from outside. A grim look was plastered on his face.

"What..?" Immediately Aubrey felt her shoulders tense as she shut the computer. Her heightened senses picking up noises from outside.

"Black van three houses down, creeping along the street."

"Time to go" Aubrey bolted to her feet, grabbing a duffel bag from the floor and loading the electronics into it, along with spare clothes and her right-wing. Aubrey put on her wings and tapped the straps, her remaining wing and jets morphing into the familiar tan backpack. They both strapped their combat suits on before quietly putting the house in order, making it look like no one had been there.

Bucky went to the back door and unlocked it, going out first, his gun ready. Aubrey followed bow in hand with a notched arrow. The two moved through backyards, using the fading light as their cover. Until they reached the end of the neighborhood, cars whizzed by as they stood behind several dense pine trees. Nervously Aubrey chattered her teeth together, her eyes scanning the surrounding area for anything out of place.

"We need a car" she murmured quietly.

"There's a car over there" he pointed to an older red Nissan in a driveway. Aubrey sighed "someones...about to have a very bad day"

"Worse than us?" Bucky shot back as he led Aubrey over to the car, within minutes he had broken in. Aubrey loaded the bags in the seat behind the drivers and went to get into the driver's seat. Bucky stopped her "Maybe I should drive..."

"When was the last time you drove" he shrugged, sighing and went to the passenger side, pulling a baseball cap onto his head. Sitting in the seat Aubrey stared at the wheel, realizing she needed a key.

"We don't have a key" she groaned. Bucky leaned across, some sort of pin in his hand and he stuck it in the ignition. The car groaned but reluctantly sputtered to life. Aubrey put her hands on the wheel and everything came back to her. She backed out of the driveway and soon they were on the road. Both were silent as Aubrey headed in a random direction, still getting the hang of driving again. Every now and then the car would swerve. "where exactly are we headed?"

"Somewhere" Bucky smirked

"Grab one of the burners in the duffel" Bucky leaned back, bringing the duffel to the front of the car and dug a burner out. He fiddled with it but didn't seem to know what he was doing. "There should be an app called Google maps. Try to figure out where we are." Bucky nodded and out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey watched Bucky struggle to work the device. She chuckled under her breath but Bucky sent a triumphant look her way when he said "we are leaving New York and going into Pennsylvania. Aubrey nodded, thinking for a moment. Something new popped into her mind..her hometown... " I want to head towards Nebraska."

"Whats Nebraska?"

"I think I'm from there"

"Is it in the United States?"

"Yeah, it's right...in the middle….I think." Bucky was silent as he moved the map around, finding Nebraska several moments later.

"Brie… that might not be a good idea. _They _are probably watching the area." he interjected

"I know.-" dejectedly Aubrey sighed "- I just thought it might help me ...remember." She turned the headlights up brighter as the car turned off the highway and onto a backroad. Both quieted as Aubrey drove, sucked into their own minds. By the time midnight came around Aubrey's eyelids had started to droop and she pulled into the first motel she saw, called "_Sleepy Inn"_, underneath the name was an advertisement that made her confused "_Pets Welcome! But not bears, we aren't making that mistake again." _

"Huh" she and Bucky both said. Parking, Aubrey grabbed the credit card but stopped Bucky when he went to follow her, murmuring quietly "I am less suspicious than you. Just stay out here.", reluctantly he grunted and planted himself by one of the pillars that held up the awning, his hand resting on a pistol. The door chirped and opened for Aubrey, revealing a sleepy-looking receptionist who immediately perked up when Aubrey came in.

"How can I help you?' she asked

"I just need a room for tonight...please" Aubrey tried her best not to click the syllables but the receptionist noticed anyway and gave her a look before checking a paper

"Ninety-five dollars a night." Aubrey swiped the credit card and the receptionist handed her the keys without question. Aubrey let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she left, quickly they found the room and took the duffel in with them.

"I'll take watch" Bucky stated as soon as the door closed, too tired to fight Aubrey nodded and flopped onto the bed, asleep in minutes. Her body had become so exhausted that her sleep was dreamless. At 4 o'clock Aubrey woke to Bucky whispering her name, she bolted upright, thinking she was back with Hydra. It took a minute to realize she was in a motel room, she breathed out of her mouth before making eye contact with Bucky

"It's your turn" She nodded and slipped out of the bed, strapping her combat boots on and surveying the motel room. It was small, the bed not too far from the couch and the kitchen to the right of the bed. The only other room was the bathroom. She heard Bucky's soft snores as she peered out the door's window before settling on the floor. Her hand ran along the edges of her bow as she listened for any sounds outside. The only noise was a lonely cricket. A memory played in Aubrey's mind;

_A younger Aubrey sat with another girl at a table, both eating some sort of colorful ice cream with a brown syrup. "Did you hear Nebraska has a new motto?" the girl asked._

"_No, really? Again?"_

"_Yeah, it's 'Nebraska, it's not for everyone'" Aubrey had just taken a bite of the ice cream but snorted when she heard the motto, she started to cough having slightly choked. The girls laughed as Aubrey added "You know why? Because half the population doesn't even know that Nebraska exists!" The girl sobered up as she admitted_

"_I know, but it's better that way, right? Your safe here." Aubrey's face darkened  
_"_I hope so. . ."_

Aubrey shook her head, trying to clear it as the realization came over her: _She had known that she wasn't safe._ The thought reverberated through her mind for the rest of the night.

When Aubrey tried to wake Bucky the next morning he shot upright and Aubrey just barely stumbled out of the way as his metal arm shot out. She backed up, giving him space as he looked around, his eyes slowly clearing. His breathes were ragged as he realized he had almost hurt Brie and he drug his hand down his face.

" 'm sorry" he whispered, rubbing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He shrugged, not really knowing as he shakily stood and collected his gun from the side table.

"Do you want to-"

"No"

Aubrey nodded and took a map of the U.S out of her pocket, she had collected one from the front desk the night before. Spreading it out on the bed she located where they were and marked it with a pen.

"Maybe we go to South Dakota and then see if it's safe to go to Nebraska" she persisted.

"If it's not safe then we leave the country for a month"

"Okay" Aubrey couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice as she mapped out a route.

"Maybe you can teach me to drive" Bucky tried

"We'll see" they collected their stuff and got back on the road, discussing actually buying a car. The day passed quickly, Bucky was amazed by all the fast-food restaurants and the people everywhere. At lunchtime, Aubrey pulled into a mall parking lot and turned the car off. Bucky gave her a confused look

"We both need clothes and necessities and there's a food court" he nodded and started to get out of the car but stopped as Aubrey undid her braid for the first time, combing it with her fingers. She winced, trying to get the snarls out but eventually just put it back in a braid.

"What? I have to at least look human." She snarked when Bucky gave her a look. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath as Aubrey led him into the mall. They had left their main weapons in the car, keeping their knives and throwing stars on them. Aubrey watched as Bucky sucked in a breath, obviously overwhelmed.

" you good?" She breathed

"Yeah". Bucky let Aubrey lead him to the food court where the smell of fried food wafted in the air. She asked Bucky what he wanted and he shrugged,

"Okay" Aubrey went to a random stall and ordered some type of noodle dish. Bucky had chosen a table on the edge of the crowd, near the door, perfect for a quick escape. She came over with the food and they ate in silence, both watched over the other's shoulder, looking for danger. After they had finished, Aubrey went into a random store. Bucky was a silent guardian, he hovered near the entrance as Aubrey browsed the clothes, unsure what she wanted.

"There's so much" she whispered, panic starting to swell in her mind when a cheery voice chirped behind her

"Hello! Is there anything I can help you folks with today?!" Stiffening, Aubrey turned to see a brightly dressed lady with a nametag.

"I am...very overwhelmed" she murmured.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here! What size are you hon?"

"I...uhm. Don't know" Aubrey felt her cheeks flush as the sales lady frowned

"Well, we can just try everything! Your green eyes are so striking with your Ash-colored hair...I wonder…"The lady trailed off as she started to walk towards another rack, Aubrey close behind. She watched as the sales lady riffled through the clothes before pulling out several shirts with varying colors.

"Pants too?" The lady questioned

"Yes please," Aubrey followed the lady through the store, every so often glancing at Bucky to make sure he was still there. By the time the sales lady was satisfied, her arms were full of various clothing items. She plunked them in a stall and told Aubrey to try everything on. Blankly she nodded and got to work, surprised at how well some of them fit. After trying all of the clothing on, Aubrey had ended up with several sweatshirts, blouses, jeans, and sweatpants. Last-minute she also decided to buy a dress, along with a brush and several hair-bands. The Saleslady threw in several pairs of shoes as Aubrey checked out. Her arms full of bags, she made her way over to Bucky who murmured softly

"That took forever." She shrugged and followed Bucky to another store, this time she stood at the entrance, her hand resting on the concealed throwing stars. He took half the time that Aubrey did, exiting with noticeably fewer bags. Aubrey let out a breath of relief, her nerves frazzled from all the people. Who knew that so many people liked to just wander around? How could anyone tell who was wandering for fun and who was wandering to look for someone? In no time they had gotten back to the car, loaded everything, and gotten back on the road.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N" If you are enjoying this please check out my other fanfics! Let me know what you think!**

**Thank you, everyone, who has been following and favoriting, Love you guys!**

Bucky's face looked like he was contemplating something and several minutes into the ride he spoke but he seemed cautious "Brie...Do you remember...Befor..before the crash..in the bank vault..when he-"

"-Slapped you" she stutter-whispered, the fuzzy memory playing in her mind.

"Why did you..do what you did." Aubrey thought about his question, she hissed quietly under her breath, remembering how she had snapped at everyone in the room.

"Something in me...my conscience, broke through the fog that was my mind. They had no..no right to act that way...do what they did-" her voice cracked at the end and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. "- our humanity was taken from us" she sniffled and wiped her face with the back of her hand, mumbling "sorry". Aubrey knew that if she kept bundling her feelings they would eventually explode but old habits die hard, Hydra had turned her into a robot. Something tentatively touched her shoulder and Aubrey stiffened, but it was only Bucky's hand.

"Life is the mission." he murmured.

"Life is our mission" she mirrored, feeling oddly comforted but human touch. They drove in silence and out of the corner of her eye Aubrey saw Bucky pull a leather book out of a bag, along with a pen. He started writing in it, his letters becoming more confident. The day passed slowly, they skirted through Pennsylvania and drove into Ohio.

"Do you know of any safe-houses in the area..?" Aubery broke the silence that had seemed to stretch endlessly. Her mind tried to remember the various locations of safe-houses but it was still foggy. Bucky nodded and directed them to a small run-down looking house. Aubrey immediately exited the car, a revolver in hand as she nimbly walked the perimeter, Bucky checking the inside. The neighborhood seemed quiet enough and neither one of them complained at the leaky ceiling and moldy-smelling rooms. After a muted dinner of canned food, Aubrey settled on the floor beside the couch, her wings in front of her. Something warm bubbled up as she stared at them, these wings were hers and had been for a very long time. Bucky was still immersed in his leather journal but after several moments of fiddling with her wings, Aubrey felt his eyes on her and gazed at him. He contemplated his words before speaking "I..remember...my family..and Steve...bits and pieces seem to float to the surface…I remember the first mission we were assigned together. At the dinner party-" he paused and his face paled visibly "-With the poison, after your first wipe...after..he was dead you..you started crying. But suddenly you became stony again…"

"I...Is that what you are writing in that" she motioned to the journal and Bucky nodded. She frowned and tried to remember the mission he was talking about but nothing surfaced, instead something else popped out of her mouth

"Do you like strawberries?" Bucky's face morphed into surprise then confusion

"I...Don't remember" he mumbled, Aubrey nodded thoughtfully and decided that they both needed real food tomorrow. She got back to work with her wings, carefully attaching the right wing-back onto the jets and starting to reattach feathers that had fallen off, fixing loose wires in the process. Absentmindedly she started to mutter to herself in German, mixing in clicks. Chunks of feathers seemed to be missing and Aubrey paused, forgetting where she was. Aubrey felt her eyes glaze over as she called for her commander and when he didn't come she looked up to find the Soldier watching her with a cautious look in his eye. Something pulled in the back of her mind as she worriedly looked around for her commander, finding herself in a rundown house

"Wo ist Kommandant?" [where is commander] she demanded

"Futch, Wir sind jetzt frei, Ihr Name ist Brie" [gone, we are free now, your name is Brie] he answered calmly. She felt her spine stiffen at the name and she blinked several times, trying to clear her head. Putting her head in her hands and puffing a breath out of her lips Aubrey breathed "I'm back" she barely held in a sob at the thought of The Eagle taking over. Gulping down snot she looked at the Soldier, whispering quietly "You're Bucky..and we..are here..away.." he only nodded and got up to do a perimeter, somehow knowing that she needed time. After he put the leather journal on top of the fridge and left Aubrey noticed he had purposely left another book on the table, a blue leather book. Frowning Aubrey shakily stood and picked up the book. It was empty, another journal...for her? Taking it and his pencil Aubrey settled onto the couch and tried to write in the journal. But she ended up sitting there numbly, unsure what to write. Vaguely she remembered writing in something similar as a child. Aubrey's pencil started to move across the paper, her words a mix of German, English, and French.

_My name is Brie, I was..kidnapped by Hydra many years ago and have been The Eagle ever since. Hydra embedded things in my nails to make them grow whenever I wish, my canine teeth are sharpened and I have wings. But Hydra is gone...I am free...Free at last. My mind is a mess of memories and fog, sometimes the fog..takes over and I am left scrambling. I'm trying to live..be normal...But I have killed people and I will never be normal again._

_I remember my family...My parents, they were the best, I have two brothers..their names...I can't remember. I have grandparents, cousins, and my aunt and uncle. A game I used to play with my cousins..called Assassin, everyone would draw a piece of paper from a jar and one person would secretly be the assassin, people would hide and try to figure out who the assassin was. It is...odd how close that has come to my real life. I'm here with Bucky..the Soldier, he talks about someone named Steve who is Captain America now. It sounds like they were good friends._

_I dream..of the past, of things I've done, people I've killed, families I've torn apart. I wouldn't be mad if someone...decided to kill me because of what I've done. It's..disgusting._

_Hydra took away my humanity and I am going to do everything in my power to earn it back. I am going to hunt down every rat who I ever worked with, but I will not kill them. I'm tired of death...so tired_

Aubrey closed the book with a sigh, something in her had settled and she felt..peaceful. Bucky had returned awhile ago and was on the computer, the clicking of keys sounding in Aubrey's ears.

"Thought an extra would come in handy-" he murmured, nodding to the blue journal. "-It..helps organize everything." Aubrey agreed and picked up the remote on the side table, fiddling with it for a few moments before turning the T.V on. She fiddled with the channels and settled on a news channel. But Aubrey frowned as the news anchor started talking about both Her and Bucky.

"This is Carolina Zozya, with channel 10 news. Four days ago we found out that S.H.I.E.L.D had been secretly taken over by The Red Skull, otherwise known as Hydra. For over 90 years Hydra has been operating out of bases across the world, making anyone who suspected of them disappear. Former Hydra Operatives James Buchanan Barnes and Aubrey Ann Cristo, otherwise known as The Winter Soldier and The Eagle were seen leaving the Helicarrier crash sight. Several of our crew members have searched through the information dump and found multiple pieces of evidence that prove just how many people have been murdered for Hydra. But today Captain America came forward in an interview."

Aubrey watched as Captain America came on screen and started to talk, Bucky heard the report and had come over with the computer, sitting on the couch. When Captain America came on screen he closed the computer and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes seemed to scan every inch of Captain America and Aubrey watched as something flashed in Bucky's eyes. She was pulled to the T.V, listening to Captain America's words with fervor.

"Captain Rogers, how can you explain your former friend's actions?"

"Bucky still is my friend, wherever he is. It wasn't him all those years. Hydra had a chair that took away all your memories and reprogrammed you. Anything done these past years was Hydra, just Hydra. The same goes for The Eagle when Sam and I fought her there was a moment when she stopped and her eyes were full of anguish. But when someone spoke to her through her commlink her eyes glazed over. It wasn't their fault. Wherever they are now I hope that they are helping each other safely return to reality.-" Captain America paused and looked right at the camera "-Buck if you are watching. It wasn't your fault. Take care of each other. I'm with you to the end of the line pal."

The screen changed back to the news anchor but Aubrey had muted the T.V and was looking at Bucky, waiting to see his reaction.

"You could go to him you know, he would protect you." Aubrey voiced her thought.

"I don't remember anything about him except for whats online and a couple of memories. I...just want to stay like this, to disappear."

"We will never be truly able to disappear, some will always look for the ghost stories, the people who should be dead."

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N" This one's a bit long but it is action-packed! A new character also enters the scene :p **

**I have also gone back through and added/changed a bunch of stuff, it's definitely worth looking at!**

Aubrey stood and threw on a sweatshirt, pulling the hood up onto her head, grabbing her throwing stars and stashing them in her combat boots Aubrey poked her head back into the living room. "I'm going to walk around a little bit" Buckys head shot up and he stood

"I should come with, in case you run into trouble." Aubrey shrugged and made sure she had all her knives, and her small pistol strapped to the small of her back. Bucky also strapped on knives, hiding them under a jean jacket. The house they where staying in was located in a small town and close to some sort of farmers market. Both Super Soldiers left the house in silence, briskly walking on the sidewalk until they reached the market. Aubrey felt her spine stiffen when she saw how many people were in the market square. Her keen eyes scanned the crowd and she knew Bucky was doing the same beside her.

She lowered her voice before speaking "I don't think there are any threats here. But if you see someone we should meet somewhere"

Bucky pointed to a larger building with red brick "Behind there, but if we see someone it would be better to follow whoever it is."

"Okay. If we have to split up at any time lets meet at the mall from yesterday." Aubrey waited until Bucky agreed before launching herself into the crowd. She felt on edge, anyone here could be an enemy but Aubrey felt herself relax slightly when Bucky caught up with her. Two Super Soldiers were better than one. A brightly colored stand caught Aubrey's eyes and she strode over, eyeing the fresh-looking strawberries.

"How are you today Ma'am?" The vendor asked

"Good, thank you! Um-" Aubrey paused, her brain paralyzed, she didn't know what to say. What if she said the wrong thing and the lady got angry? Bucky sidled up beside Aubrey and spoke for her

"We would like some Strawberries, and some of those-" he pointed to Cherries and the vendor gave Aubrey an odd look before measuring out some Strawberries and Cherries.

"Ten dollars please-" the woman smiled as Bucky fished money out of his pocket and handed a ten over. "-Have a nice day!" she called after them as they left the stand. Aubrey puffed air out of her mouth, glad the human interaction was over.

"You good?"

"Yeah...I don't know what happened. My brain froze I guess" she shrugged, taking the bag of fruit from Bucky. Aubrey continued to travel through the crowd but stopped so suddenly that Bucky ran into her, his "Oof" audible.

"Brie?" But her eyes were on a stand with all sorts of animals.

"Bucky-" she breathed, remembering something "- I used to have...a rabbit. And some dogs." Wiggling bundles of fur brought her out of her stupor and Aubrey rushed over to a crate with furry little puppies inside it. A squeak came out of her mouth and she froze, not really knowing what had just happened. Bucky was chuckling behind her but when she turned to look at him, his face froze. "No, uh uh, I know that look. Brie, we don't have the time or anything for it."

"Bucky, they are so cute" she turned back to the puppies and reached in to pet them, a chorus of yips answered her. The vendor had seen them and came over "These pups are of the Husky variety and make great pets" Aubrey looked at Bucky, a pleading look in her eyes and he groaned, coming over to kneel beside Aubrey. For several moments he played with the pups before standing and asking the vendor "Are these real active, or?"

"The father is a great guard dog, the mother is a real loyal dog so it could go either way." When Bucky looked at Aubrey he sighed, mumbling under his breath "I'm going to regret this..." before looking at the vendor "How much for one?" the vendor cleared his throat and softly spoke the price "thousand dollars." Aubrey's jaw dropped as she blatantly stared at the vendor and her Super Soldier hearing picked up some colorful words that Bucky was muttering under his breath.

"Your serious?" maybe she had heard him wrong.. But when the vendor shook his head and said that Purebreed Huskies were hard to come by, Aubrey stood reluctantly and led Bucky away from the stand.

" Maybe it's better that way Brie-" but he was cut off by the vendor hurrying up behind them. Bucky frowned and Aubrey prepared to grab her knife until she noticed the vendor holding a small bundle of fur.

"This is the runt of the litter, no one will want it. If you can keep him alive then he's yours." he practically shoved the pup into Aubrey's hands, along with formula and a bottle. The vendor flashed a thin smile at Aubrey before disappearing back into the crowd. Aubrey looked at Bucky and he held his hands up in defeat. They ventured back to the house quickly and once inside Aubrey took a cardboard box and several old blankets. After making a nest she settled the little puppy inside and clicked her tongue against her teeth happily. Bucky had grumbled the whole time and had settled on the couch, watching with furrowed brows. Aubrey jumped slightly when his voice filled the room "The pup reminds you of something, or someone" she nodded and took a breath before speaking

"I..remember a dog I had...a Husky. But I… don't remember her name" Bucky nodded and came over to where Aubrey stood by the kitchen table and stroked the pup's head.

"What are you going to name him?"

"Oh um." Aubrey chewed her bottom lip, she couldn't remember the last time she named something. She did remember looking at pictures at the farmers market earlier and suddenly she had a name.

"Glacier."

Bucky nodded thoughtfully. "It fits him. Also, we need to try these; I've waited long enough." He took the plastic bag of fruit off the counter and placed it on the table beside Glacier's box. Gently, Aubrey moved Glacier to the floor by the couch before getting paper plates and dividing the fruit between them. Sitting at the table like "normal" people, both Aubrey and Bucky tried their first strawberries in many years. Aubrey immediately decided that they were delicious; Bucky looked unsure.

"I Love these!" She spoke with her mouth full.

"There are so many little seeds, but they have a nice flavor," Bucky concluded as they both tried the Cherries. Almost in unison, they spit the Cherry pits out onto their plates.

"Forgot about how annoying those are," Aubrey muttered under her breath.

The Super Soldiers snacked on the fruits for the rest of the night. Several times Aubrey was roused by Glacier's hungry cries. Bucky growled every time the pup started to cry again, constantly muttering about how people would be able to hear its cries. By morning, Aubrey had settled on the couch after doing a perimeter. Bangs sounded from the bedroom and she was instantly awake. Silently, Aubrey grabbed her bow and arrow, slowly creeping up to the doorway and peeking inside. But the only person in the room was Bucky. He was stumbling around the room and immediately, Aubrey knew something was wrong...very wrong. He looked at Aubrey and she noticed that his eyes had glazed over, he didn't even seem to see her. Barely getting out of his way, Aubrey watched him stumble towards the door, and she spoke when he reached the door.

"Bucky…?" He turned and his gaze hardened; within minutes he had launched at Aubrey. Catching her off guard, she stumbled back but blocked all but one punch, her left eye throbbing when his flesh-fist made contact. But something calm came over Aubrey as she slipped back into the familiar blankness of The Eagle. She threw Bucky backward and hissed in German, "Bucky, du heißt Bucky." [Bucky, your name is Bucky]. He blinked vigorously and gave Aubrey enough time to hit him in the head, hard. Bucky winced and froze, his eyes clearing completely. Immediately, Aubrey backed off, her hands going to her face and tenderly touching her eye. That was when she realized she was shaking violently. Bucky looked around, confused at first but understanding soon dawned on his face. He stood swiftly and took his journal off the top of the fridge before disappearing into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, the sound of the lock echoing through the room. Aubrey slid to the floor and crawled over to Glacier, transferring him from the box to her lap with shaky hands. The pup seemed to know that something was wrong as he nuzzled Aubrey's hand, whining pitifully. She smiled thinly and held the pup up to her face, not realizing that tears had started rolling down her cheeks until Glacier's pink tongue licked them off.

Sniffling she whispered, "Hey there, little guy, everything's going to be okay now. I've got you." Hugging him to her chest Aubrey listened as the pup's breaths slowed and he fell asleep, snoring softly. The morning sun shone through the blinds as Aubrey took a deep breath, finally coming face-to-face with what she had been avoiding. She had been putting off her feelings, but now everything felt real. Yes, she was away from Hydra, but would either of them ever be truly free..?

"Is it even possible?" Aubrey murmured quietly, leaning her head back on the wall. Ugly doubts rose up in her mind and she felt like she was drowning. Putting Glacier back in his nest, Aubrey grabbed the blue leather journal and hurriedly started writing, feeling like the words were piling on too fast. Her eye continued to throb, but by now she was used to pain.

Bucky emerged from the bathroom several hours later, finding Aubrey on the couch, her journal still in hand, along with a watery cup of coffee. She had calmed down but seeing Bucky, she didn't know how much more she could take. They both started at the same time.

"Brie, I'm-"

"I don't-"

Aubrey closed her journal and tried to start again but Bucky held up a hand.

"Brie, I..got caught up and forgot where I was, and..I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Buck, it scared me, but..it's okay, I..I think I'm going to work on my wings." His only reply was a grunt as he started to make a coffee. The Soldier's cautiously danced around each other all day, both making sure to give the other space. Glacier started hobbling around and played tug-of-war with one of Aubrey's wing feathers. By nightfall, her wings were fixed and had morphed back into the tan backpack. Bucky took the first shift, doing perimeter and watching for anything suspicious. The next morning, Aubrey decided to go to the market again, Bucky became a silent guardian, trailing her through the crowds. It wasn't until she spotted someone in black for the third time that her hair started to stand on end.

"Bucky," she uttered, just loud enough for his Super Soldier hearing to pick up on. His eyes followed hers to the man, who stiffened when he noticed both Soldiers eyeing him suspiciously. The man backed out of the crowd and ran down an alleyway.

"Je vais suivre depuis le sol." [I'll track from the ground] Bucky's rapid French sounded in Aubrey's ears as she moved into an alleyway, glad she had brought her wings along. Tapping the backpack straps, she slipped back into The Eagle's icy calm as her wings extended and she took to the skies. She stayed low as she and Bucky tracked the man. He entered an abandoned building. Bucky nodded to Aubrey, and they entered from a broken window. They found the man in a room typing on a computer. Bucky positioned himself on the right side of the door and Aubrey on the left. They crossed their arms and waited as the man sensed their presence and turned around, his eyes widened in horror as he rapid-fired in German.

"Ahh, the Soldat and Adler have returned for a mission, Sp.-" the man started to say the trigger words but Bucky cut him off, his hand a blur as he slapped the man. Quickly, Aubrey grabbed the man's arms and tied them with a rope she had found.

"I don't want to kill anymore, Bucky" she murmured quietly.

"I know," he responded as they secured the man. Aubrey sidled up to him and realized she recognized him, this had been one of the scientists who had worked on wiping her memory

"And I know you-." She hissed at the man "You are lucky that I'm not in the killing business anymore. Otherwise, I would tear you limb from limb and hang you where everyone can see" The man started to tremble and his eyes were full of fear.

"So..so your not going to kill me?" he stuttered and Aubrey flashed him a wicked grin.

"No, we are going to drop you at the polices front door, and if you don't cooperate then I Will hunt you down and make you regret everything" Aubrey finished and took several steps back, wanting to have a word with Bucky. He followed Aubrey and listened intently to her, keeping an eye on the man.

"Buck, we have to split up."

"I know, I know. You have a burner on you?-" Aubrey nodded and Bucky continued "-In a week text my number and we will meet up, if anything goes south text firefly."

"I will fly him to the police station but what about our stuff, and Glacier?" Aubrey felt a pang in her chest at the thought of leaving him behind.

"Lay low tonight and tomorrow I will leave a backpack on the porch.-" Bucky paused, the next words seemed to pain him "-and...I'll take your dog with me" Aubrey visibly relaxed and nodded, clearing her throat she whispered "Is..it okay if I hug you?" Bucky grinned a real grin and pulled her into a hug which lasted for a few moments before both pulled away. Aubrey promised Bucky that she would wait until nightfall to drop the Hydra agent off. He nodded and was gone, his metal arm flashing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N" Another chapter this week, I knowww. But honestly, I couldn't help it, this ones soooo good.**

**Enjoy!**

Aubrey moved the tied-up agent to the floor and plopped into his chair, the agent had started to nervously babble, getting on her nerves. So instead of scaring him more, Aubrey put tape over his mouth, sighing in relief at the silence. Her wings folded and she turned towards the computer, trying to decide if it was worth it to snoop a little. Her curiosity won out and Aubrey scrolled through the agent's history, a small gasp escaped her mouth when she located several Hydra bases that were still in operation. Scrambling for a piece of paper Aubrey scribbled down the coordinates and the security around the bases.

Turning to check on the agent she smiled at his glare. Briefly looking out the blocked window told Aubrey it was not quite yet sunset but she was restless. Standing she felt her wings flutter as the suit melted onto her. She watched quietly as she willed her nails to grow into the familiar talons. Once they had finished Aubrey hooked them onto the rope wrapped around the Hydra agent before making her way to the top of the building. A small burst of happiness bloomed in her chest at the thought of the wind in her wings. The agent's weight made it hard to level out at first but as Aubrey soared into the clouds she felt everything level out. It didn't take long to reach the Police station and even though Aubrey knew the cameras would see her she wanted whoever was watching to know that she was trying to fix her mistakes. Smoothly landing on the front steps Aubrey dropped the agent onto the ground and hissed into his ear

"You _will _cooperate. You don't want to get onto my bad side. I'll be watching" The agent, whose face had a green tinge to it nodded. Satisfied, Aubrey looked at the camera and tipped her head before turning and blasting back into the sky. 

"Steve" Sam Wilson nervously stood at Captain America's doorway in the Avengers Headquarters, unsure how Cap would take this development. Looking up from the video he was watching on his computer Steve turned and looked at Sam. His brow immediately furrowing. 

"You found something..?" the hope in his face was unmistakable.

Sam sighed "It could be something, it probably is. But I want you to look at it" Cap nodded and followed Sam to the large command room he had been working in. Holograms were lit up and Sam swiped several away, revealing the security camera footage from a Police station in Sparta, Ohio. Pushing play, Sam and Cap watched as a winged person in a silvery-black suit landed on the steps, dropping a tied-up person onto the cement. Her ash-colored hair covered the side of her face but the terror on the person's face when she leaned down was unmistakable. She straightened up again and studied her nails as the talons retracted. Turning she looked straight at the camera, tipping her head towards it before whirling around, her wings flapping and launching her out of view. Steve pushed a breath out of his lungs and looked at Sam. "It's her" when he nodded Cap arched his eyebrows "Wheres Bucky then?"

"That's where this gets complicated, the man she dropped off? He cooperated with the Police. 'Names Jonas Müller, he's a Hydra agent. Worked with them for a long time, and here-" Sam paused and pulled up another screen with Jonas sitting in a chair, a detective across from him "-is his interrogation" Sam pushed play and they watched in silence.

"Mr. Müller, please tell us what you did at Hydra."

"Certainly, I was involved with Project Eagle since the beginning.-" Jonas was cut off by the Detective

"And what is Project Eagle?"

"-Project Eagle was destined to be even greater than the Winter Soldier. For years we waited for our subject to come of age, she was chosen based on school tests and her..enhancements. After removing her from civilization she underwent vigorous training exercises before being deemed ready to step into her role at Hydra. She was wiped, her new name Der Adler, The Eagle, our Eagle. We implanted over 50 languages, 30 different fighting styles, and numerous weapons training into her mind. We removed half of her fingernails and implanted metal plates that grow to beautiful talons. The plates grew themselves into her skin, they became apart of The Eagle. Her canine teeth were sharpened and infused with metal. We also infused her bones with metal weekly. The metal was a mix of Vibranium, Tungsten, and Titanium. We took her original wing-suit design and raised it to new levels." The Detective's face had paled when Jonas described the operations done on The Eagle.

"What was her...role at Hydra, did she cooperate completely?" The Detective seemed less interested in Jonas and more interested in The Eagle and her whereabouts. Jonas seemed to hesitate before speaking,

"Her role was to work alongside The Winter Soldier, to be better than him. When she was first brought to..our chosen facility. She was very uncooperative, kicking and screaming. Such a ruckus she made, but the Chair fixed that. Especially during the enhancement surgeries. For hours agents would complain about her screams."

"Why did you show up on our doorstep?" the Detective asked, his face sheet white. Jonas's shoulders seemed to sag as he continued.

"After the...unfortunate failure of Project Insight I was tasked with locating the Soldiers. I almost had them but I made a fatal mistake, underestimating how healthy their minds have become. They were in the marketplace and when The Soldier saw me, he pursued from the ground and I can only assume that The Eagle came from the air. I'm sure they have moved on now. The Eagle...made it very clear that if I uh..didn't cooperate then..-" Jonas paused and seemed to clear his throat "-she said she would kill me. Because unfortunately she recognized me and was….angered."

"Reasonably so-" the Detective concluded. "-Thank you for cooperating Mr. Müller." The interrogation ended and the hologram clicked off.

Sam looked at Cap, watching for his reaction, his face looked sad. Cap turned and looked at Sam, murmuring something under his breath.

"Where would they be now..do you think?" Cap asked Sam could see that his eyes had turned glassy.

"You tell me, strategically if you were found out what would you do?"

"Split up" Cap sighed, dragging a tired hand down his face. Sam puffed a breath out of his lips and pulled something else up.

"I..don't know if this is them but you know him better then me..I just wouldn't think that they would go anywhere" Cap immediately perked up as security camera footage from a bustling market place popped up. It played and several moments later two people waded into the crow. Both looked extremely uncomfortable, their backs stiff and their clothes dark, their heads down. Yet Cap watched as their mouths moved, obviously speaking to each other. Steve stiffened as he watched the person he would know anywhere. "Bucky" he breathed, watching as they ventured closer to a stand with animals. Who he assumed was The Eagle rushed forward and crouched in front of something. Sam and Cap watched the whole exchange, from what Steve could tell. The Eagle wanted some sort of dog and Bucky seemed against it, in the end she had gotten what looked to be the runt and the two had gone out of camera range.

"We'll find them" Cap declared, Sam nodding, even though he wondered _what if they don't want to be found?_.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N" Bit of a short one! I had my birthday and started 2 new jobs along with continuing my own fictional writing so things have been a bit hectic! More will be out soon!**

Aubrey had landed and broke into a safe-house apartment in Wisconsin. The city was bustling and Aubrey made sure to lock the door, Glacier and Bucky's absence already making her lonely. Shuddering as the wings retracted back into the backpack, and after dropping them to the floor Aubrey opened the backpack Bucky had packed for her. Inside were several pairs of clothing, her brush, and she found her blue journal. A note taped to the front read: "_Thought you would want this."_ A smile tugged at her lips but as she continued to dig through the backpack, she froze. A can of bean chili sat at the bottom. Frowning, Aubrey brought it out and stuck her tongue out, that stuff was disgusting. Instead of throwing it away, she stashed it in the cupboard for whoever used the safe-house next. Because there was no one to take watch, Aubrey rigged traps in front of the door and boarded up the window before laying on the mattress. Quietly, she took in her surroundings. The apartment was one room (two counting the bathroom), her mattress was on the floor and the kitchen had a small table. Choosing not to complain, Aubrey turned onto her side, thankful for just having somewhere to be other than Hydra. Her sleep that night was fitful, she woke with a gurgled scream. It was amazing that no one pounded on her door, wondering if she was alright. By morning, Aubrey had settled at the table, pencil in hand. Furiously she wrote all she remembered of the agent from yesterday. Memories kept flashing before her eyes, faster and faster until she lightly hit her head on the table. Trying to stop the madness. The walls were closing in. Growling, Aubrey stood to her feet and in one swift move, she put on her wings, packed the backpack, and left. She tore the boards off the window and jumped, her wings unfolding and catching a drift. Soaring into the sky, Aubrey headed towards the one place she wanted to be. _Home_. She spent the next 5 days flying from one safe-house to another before stopping in Potato Creek, South Dakota (Yes it's an actual place! Found it on Google Maps). Even though the name was odd the safe-house was beautiful. It was on the edge of some sort of dude ranch, fencing for the horses coming right behind the cabin. It had an open-concept with a loft bed above. The thought of seeing Bucky again warmed her spirits and she felt better as the week went on, her nightmares finally becoming less painful. Yet she knew deep down that the pain would never truly fade, it would always be apart of her. On the seventh day, Aubrey's burner phone buzzed, fishing it out of her back pocket Aubrey gazed at the screen.

Bucky: Brie?

Aubrey: Beweise, dass du es bist [Prove it's you]

Bucky: Ihr Hund ist hier bei mir, das Ärgernis, das er ist. Ich weiß nicht, was du in ihm siehst. [Your dog is here with me, the nuisance that he is. Don't know what you see in him.]

She smiled at that and knew it was him. The thought of seeing Glacier again made her chest swell with happiness.

Aubrey: I'm in Potato Creek, South Dakota.

Bucky: I'll be in range in a day or so, it appears we both headed in the same direction.

Aubrey: Don't let anything happen to Glacier, See you soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N" As promised here is a longer chapter! If you're enjoying this drop a review and let me know what you think! Check out the other FanFic I'm currently working on; Raging Inferno! Once again, thank you sooo much for all the followers and favorites, Love you guys!**

Aubrey spent the next day exploring the property and watching the horses graze. The following morning she ventured to the store, her pistol strapped to the small of her back. Her spine was ramrod straight throughout the whole store, every sense on high. Only when she got back home did she relax slightly. When her phone finally buzzed Aubrey catapulted out of her chair to answer the text. Bucky was asking where in Potato Creek she was, after typing out a response she flopped back onto the lounge chair on the back patio. Slipping her sunglasses back on she thought about how similar they were to her goggles. The sunglasses had been bought on a whim that morning at the store.

Briefly, she wondered if this was how normal people lived on a daily basis, buying things on whims and not having a care in the world. But she was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a car rolling down the gravel road. Her super-human senses recognized the old-sounding engine almost immediately. Standing to her feet Aubrey ventured back inside and through the house to the front door, not caring enough to put on any shoes. A smile ghosted Aubrey's lips as she watched Bucky exit the car, but the smile became real when a bouncing ball of fur catapulted out of the backseat and out the drivers-door. In several bounds Glacier had reached Aubrey, in just a week he had nearly quadrupled in size, almost reaching Aubrey's knees. His puppy bark had matured and Aubrey kneeled down, laughing as Glacier licked her face happily. Picking him up, Aubrey buried her face in his long fur, petting him as he calmed down, content to be in his owner's arms.

"That dog is nothing but a nuisance-" Bucky grunted as he pulled several bags out of the trunk. "-Don't know what you see in 'im"

"He's my good boy" She cooed at Glacier, who yipped in response.

"Well, your "good boy" managed to shred almost everything made of fabric at the last safe-house I was in. He also left a..gift in one of my shoes" Bucky growled, she chuckled at first but sensing his bad mood Aubrey frowned, tapping Glacier on the nose.

"Everything alright?" he only shrugged in response, surveying the country around them before stomping past Aubrey and into the house. Silently she followed, putting Glacier on the ground he stayed at her heels. The door shut behind them and Aubrey watched Bucky throw his backpack on the table before tromping up the stairs to the loft. Dropping the rest of his stuff there and coming back down. He paused at the bottom and looked at her incredulously "What?"

"You tell me, were you followed?" he shook his head before going over to one of the windows and watching the horses in the pasture. Aubrey sighed, grabbing her sunglasses, and a sprite from the fridge. She had discovered the bubbly drink at one of the safe-houses and had consumed three already today. Before going out the back door, saying through the screen. "Well, when you're ready to stop stomping the house down I'll be out here," Aubrey said it teasingly, knowing that he had probably remembered something and was working through it. Her own mind had days where it seemed to turn on itself. Glacier faithfully followed Aubrey outside, deciding to lay beside one of the lounge chairs. The back patio had an umbrella that Aubrey had put up earlier to block the blinding sunlight. But something caught her eye, one of the larger horses was grazing by the fence. Ever since she had come to the cabin and seen the horse's something had been nagging at the back of her mind.

But the horses where skittish towards her, each morning she would spend some time at the fence and the horses had inched closer and closer. Pulling on her combat boots Aubrey ventured closer to the animal, keeping her steps quiet yet loud enough that the animal heard her coming. Lazily the horse lifted it's head in greeting, nicking softly. Now that she was almost right beside the horse Aubrey realized that what she thought was mud on his dappled grey coat was actually scarring, all over the horse. Her brows scrunched and she slipped back into an old habit, clicking her tongue against her teeth. This horse had been through more than she knew. She reached out, tentatively stroking the horse's neck, her fingers catching on spots without hair.

"Guess we are more alike than we thought huh big guy." She whispered as the horse nibbled her other hand. He nickered softly before bending his head back down to the grass. Aubrey had been so engrossed with the horse that she hadn't noticed the horse and rider approaching from across the pasture until they were right in front of her. Nervously she cleared her throat, warily watching the older man on his black steed.

"Afternoon-" he greeted "- Didn't know anyone lived in that cabin. Been empty for a while now."

Aubrey tried to smile warmly but it felt strained as she responded. "Just got here a couple of days ago."- trying to change the subject she motioned to the horse "- This horse...You didn't-" biting her lip Aubrey attempted to find the right words but the man got her meaning and frowned

"No, I would never hurt a hair on these guys'' heads. I run the ranch down the hill there, and we take in rescue horses like Olcay Von here. We call him Von but my granddaughter named him. Olcay means conquerer and Von means hope. He conquered his injuries and now lives a life of hope."

"That's..poetic" Aubrey murmured as she stroked Von's mane.

"He doesn't usually take to people well, it's amazing he's letting you pet him," he commented. "Your more than welcome to come over to the ranch sometime and I can introduce you to the rest of the herd."

"I would..like that very much. Thank you" This time Aubrey's smile was real.

"Just ask for Grandpa Jack. I best be going now but I'll see you around." he tipped his cowboy hat to her and once more to someone behind her before clicking to his horse and trotting off. Aubrey had already sensed who had come out but turned around anyway. Bucky stood on the patio slightly up the hill from her, his hands in his pockets. He stayed silent so Aubrey turned back to the horse, watching as he grazed. Crouching down her fingers deftly plucked grass from the dirt. Straightening she held it out, clicking her tongue softly. Von looked at her, puzzled at first but his eyes strayed to the grass and he hungrily came forward, eating it out of her palm and sniffing for more. Chuckling Aubrey picked more and offered it. She heard the grass rustling beside her but continued feeding Von, her fingers fiddling with his soft mane. Bucky cleared his throat from where he now stood beside her before speaking.

"Hi, Brie."

"Hi Buck" she mirrored, aware that he had something he wanted to say.

" 'M Sorry for being a butt earlier. I found out that being by myself with your troublesome dog is not good for mental stability."

"It's okay, I understand that we both have different things we are going through and may need time to figure our way out of. -" Aubrey paused, usually when she asked this question Bucky waved her off but she thought it was worth a try. "- I know that you don't like it when I ask this but sometimes it can help. Do you want to talk about it?"He thought about it for a moment.

"It..might be worth a try" Distantly a bell rang and Von lifted his head, whinnying before turning and heading towards the ranch. Together they walked back to the patio, Aubrey settled on a lounge chair. Bucky seemed unsure of the lounge chairs, he looked at the other one distastefully. "It exposes your whole body to a bullet."

"But I have my bow right here and we have the vantage point, the whole cabin is on a little hill." Aubrey reasoned and grinned when Bucky sighed and unhooked various guns, laying them on the side table. Sipping her Sprite, which had lost some of its bubbliness. Aubrey watched as Bucky settled in the other lounge chair, but blinked when she realized he was holding his leather journal.

"Where did that come from?"

"Had it in one of my pockets."

"Oh." As they lapsed into silence, Aubrey sensed that Bucky was trying to get his thoughts together. Minutes later he started to speak, it all came tumbling out of his mouth at once. Bucky had to stop himself and start again, clearing his throat.

"The first night I remembered some stuff and I dealt with it but the second night I woke up and thought I was waiting for extraction after a mission. It was several hours before your dog barking brought me out of the trance. I had..trashed the house, so we left soon after. The next night...I remembered something...about you. Before Hydra..kidnapped you. Brie, they sent me to missions to observe you. The day of your kidnapping-" Bucky paused, looking disgusted with himself.

"Buck, if you don't want to talk about it then that's okay too."

"-No, this is something I have to tell you. You were at some sort of shop with a couple of other girls and you must have known something was wrong because constantly you were looking around. Your friends even noticed and one of them left the main group for a couple of minutes. She made eye-contact and I got out of there as fast as possible. She followed me down an alleyway where I was supposed to use a cement-door but she confronted me. I..didn't know what I was doing, If..if I had been myself I wouldn't have..didn't mean to." he stumbled on his words and Aubrey scrunched her brow, saying what he was afraid to.

"You killed her?"

"I don't know-" he stuttered, putting his head in his hands, Aubrey watched him start to tremble. "- I threw a grenade, she screamed and started to run but I wasn't there for the blast. I don't know. I've killed so many people, this shouldn't faze me but...She was so young...all of you were. That's why they moved your kidnapping date up." His breath came out in a shudder. Aubrey didn't know what to say, her memory when it came to Before was spotty and she didn't remember much of the day before her kidnapping.

"We've both done some bad stuff.-" she whispered "-but it wasn't your fault. It's possible she's still alive too Buck. I..don't remember much from Before. That's why I wanted to go back to Nebraska. If she was my friend th-" the joke died on Aubrey's tongue as she cleared her throat, trying again. "-I'm not very good at comforting people." Bucky chuckled under his breath, meeting Aubrey's eyes.

"We're a mess. Maybe it would be good to go to your home...that way if she is..gone then I can figure something out… apologize." Aubrey nodded at that, deciding not to voice any concerns about being found, instead, taking the chance to ask

"Maybe in four days_ if_ there are no problems here then we start heading towards Omaha."

"Okay" Bucky didn't even fight, instead, he opened his journal and started to write. Aubrey retrieved hers from inside and did the same, finishing off her sprite and replacing it with another, making Bucky try one as well. He concluded that it was a lot better then the pop he got before the War. Aubrey choked on her Sprite and made a joke about him being an old man. Which was answered with a well-aimed pillow to her head as they laughed together before lapsing into a comfortable silence. Glacier's little snores heard from his place at Aubrey's feet.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N" Thank you to everyone whose been favoriting, following, and reviewing! You guys are the best! Here's another long chapter just for you!**

**The next chapter will probably be out next week or the week after, going camping for a few days. Have a good week!**

The two soldiers lapped back into their comfortable routine, both took turns doing perimeter throughout the day. When nightfall came Aubrey fished several boxes of macaroni out of a cabinet and did her best to cook it. Half the noodles seemed either overcooked or undercooked but neither complained. Bucky offered to take first watch but Aubrey waved him off, wanting to do some research on her computer. He grunted before stomping his way up the stairs to the open-style loft. Aubrey spent the next four hours researching Nebraska and various things she remembered from her past life. Bucky woke by himself around twelve-thirty, his strangled scream brought Aubrey to her feet, bow in hand. Cautiously she tip-toed up the stairs

"Bucky? It's Aubrey" Aubrey's voice echoed through the cabin as she stepped to the top of the stairs. Bucky was standing, his spine ramrod straight, his icy eyes clouded over. His eyes snapped toward Aubrey and he stiffly walked towards her.

"Ich wurde vom Freund des Ziels konfrontiert. Granite verloren" [I was confronted by the target's friend. Threw grenade. Target lost] his voice was unnaturally gravely as he spoke, devoid of any emotion. Glacier had heard the commotion and had ventured up the stairs, he now stood just behind Aubrey. Seeming to sense something was wrong Glacier woofed softly as he nuzzled Aubrey's foot. Frantically Aubrey tried to mimic what his commander would say.

"Gut gemacht. Ihre nächste Mission ist in-" [Good job, your next mission is in.]

"-Ihre Mission ist es zu leben" after a pause Aubrey switched to English "-The mission is to live" she repeated and watched as Bucky blinked hard, taking in the request. His eyes slowly cleared and he looked around. His face twisted, stricken with grief as he sat back on the bed. Bucky mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" Aubrey asked, tentatively coming closer. The bed squeaked as she sat on the edge, giving Bucky space to leave if he wanted.

"I killed her. I killed so many people. I'm so guilty..I...I can't breathe" Bucky's chest heaved as he stood and strode downstairs. The sound of the screen door clicking played in Aubrey's ears. Standing to her feet in one fluid movement Aubrey followed his footsteps. Gently she lay her bow on one of the lounge chairs before making her way to where Bucky was standing by the fence. Aubrey's enhanced eye-sight helped her locate him in the dark, his arms were crossed as she sidled up to Bucky's side.

"Do you remember...one of our first missions, the man with the green suit..?-" Aubrey didn't wait for Bucky to nod before moving on. "- Right before he took the...poison he said, you will be found, go to your Commander and tell him that Hydra will be burnt to the ground. Your crimes will be brought to light and you will have to live with the guilt for the rest of your life. He was right.-" Aubrey paused to let Bucky soak it in, her eyes roving across the empty field in front of them, the moonlight bathing the trees in silvery-light "- We were found, Hydra was burnt and our crimes, our guilt? It will be there for the rest of our days. But, it wasn't our fault. If right now I put a gun in your hand and asked you to kill someone, would you do it?" He didn't respond "Would you Bucky?" His mouth opened and closed several times before words formed

"No….would you?"

"I think you know the answer to that-" Aubrey murmured "- Right now we are learning how to deal with everything and it will take time but it's better to face it head-on. Instead of continuing to live in guilt...we need to do everything in our power to right our wrongs." Bucky nodded, sighing, the weight of the world seeming to be on his shoulders. The Soldiers stood side by side in the dark, a comfort to each other. No one would ever understand what they had gone through. They were freaks of nature, people who shouldn't exist...yet they do. Hydra had designed them to be dependent on the chair, yet they were here. Free...free at last. The two Soldiers alone knew what the other had gone through and even though others may try to understand...they never would. Time passed and eventually, Aubrey herded Bucky back inside, retrieving his journal from the table and placing it in his hands. Exhaustion overtook her as she flopped onto the bed and for the first time in months, her sleep was deep and dreamless.

Aubrey woke to the sun streaming in through the many windows. Bucky had watched the rest of the night and hadn't woke her when he was supposed to. Standing up too quickly Aubrey swayed on her feet and held onto the bed until her vision had cleared. Glacier extracted himself from his cocoon in the blankets and followed Aubrey's half-awake steps. Blinking hard, she tried to force herself awake but Aubrey's eyelids continued to droop. Bucky was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his metal hand, and a newspaper in his flesh one. He nodded to Aubrey before turning back to the paper, his leather journal not far from his reach.

"It says here in the paper-" he paused to drink the coffee, draining it in one gulp. "-that it's common for people to participate in runs. Maybe something to try." he murmured the last sentence to himself. Aubrey nodded along and proceeded to guzzle the rest of the coffee from the coffee pot. Coming over, she examined the papers he was done with, a runner catching her attention. The runner sported yoga pants and a tank top, the thought of wearing something that revealed so much of her arms disgusted Aubrey. But an idea nagged the back of her mind, going back upstairs Aubrey changed into similar-looking yoga pants and a short-sleeved shirt. Bucky gave her an odd look as she came back down, grinning Aubrey retorted

"Going for a run, did you forget what you just read old man?" Bucky growled as he stood to his feet and pulled on his combat boots.

" You need to respect your elders." Opening the door he motioned for Aubrey to go. Grabbing her Pistol, Aubrey strapped it under her shirt, Bucky doing the same. Glacier followed at Aubrey's heels as they started at a jog. The Soldiers jogged on the side of the road, following where it led. They ended up in front of a red barn, a familiar smell filtered through Aubrey's nose. Horses. The man from the day before walked out from the barn, spotting them immediately. He walked over, a smile on his face

"Good morning! Glad to see you took up my offer!-" he paused and looked behind them, surprise clouding his face "-You walked all the way here?" When Aubrey nodded he blew out a breath. "That's sure a long run. Follow me and I'll give you a tour" Aubrey grinned and followed the man, Bucky hesitating but followed suit a second later. The man took them around the whole ranch, introducing them to the horses, Aubrey admired the man for rescuing so many horses. Afterward, he invited them to the little cottage for lunch. His wife greeted them warmly and served freshly grilled cheese sandwiches. Aubrey decided that these were her favorite food. After lunch, they thanked the older couple and jogged back home. The next few days passed quickly, Bucky became quieter than usual. At the end of the fourth day, Aubrey sat on the edge of the couch, eyeing Bucky, who was watching some show on T.V.

"Sooo-" she started "-It's been four days and nothing has happened. I thought I would maybe try to send a message to my parents." her voice cracked at the mention of her parents. Bucky paused the T.V and thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"It...goes against everything about being in hiding but...We both need it." Aubrey felt her face light up, a grin plastered on it. Jumping to her feet she grabbed the computer and tried to figure out how to reach her family. Eventually, Aubrey was able to track down an email address, after sending one Aubrey finished working on something she had started several nights ago. At the store, she had picked up an empty book and at the first safe-house, she had taken a Polaroid camera that had been there. Ever since, Aubrey had been taking pictures and compiling them. In the book, she had attached the pictures and written about everything that had happened. Both her and Bucky's recovery from Hydra. After finishing the book Aubrey wrote a message a the front for her parents before closing it and stashing it in her duffel bag. Aubrey took the first sleeping shift, she fell asleep quickly and only woke when Glacier kicked her, his legs running in his dream. Getting to her feet Aubrey looked at the digital clock on the nightstand, it read four fifty-five. Bucky hadn't woken Aubrey for her shift to keep watch, her fingers closed around the Glock she kept on the nightstand. Aubrey crept down the stairs but stopped when she saw a very awake Bucky watching T.V the volume low and his journal on the coffee table, along with a large cup of coffee. Frowning Aubrey crossed her arms and looked at him. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He shrugged "You hardly sleep as it is, figured with your nightmares giving you a break you would actually sleep for once."

"What about you?"

"Sleeps overrated."

"Well, thank you. Glacier woke me up so you can go sleep now." Aubrey plopped onto the couch, massaging her forehead with her fingers. A headache nipped the back of her mind as Bucky sighed.

"I...don't really want to."

"Why not? You need to sleep"

"Because...I don't want everything to come back. Every time I close my eyes I see things." Aubrey stood to her feet and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a small bottle of pills. Buckys eyebrows raised as he eyed bottle.

"Melatonin, I don't recommend taking it every night but it..helps you fall into a deep sleep and stay asleep. Picked it up a couple days ago. Wanna try?" Bucky stood to his feet and trod over, taking the bottle and observing it.

"Worth a try...I guess." He opened the bottle and tossed a one into his mouth before tromping upstairs. The bed squeaked and Aubrey did her rounds before settling back on the couch. The night passed quietly and by morning Aubrey had packed everything, including Glaciers toys and the various knick-knacks she had picked up along the way. Bucky didn't get up until after nine. Aubrey had let him sleep longer considering how he had done the same for her. After the soldiers wolfed down bacon and eggs they got on the road. Minutes, after they started driving Bucky, started to nag Aubrey

"Can I drive?"

"No way."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid for everyone else on the road if you drive." Aubrey chuckled as Bucky scowled at her. They drove for most of the day, leaving South Dakota and driving well into the night. Aubrey finally pulled into a little motel just outside of Omaha. After getting a room the two soldiers brought only their over-night bags and Glacier inside. Aubrey disappeared into the bathroom for a shower, Bucky did a round of the room. He checked for cameras and listening devices, finding none he settled onto the bed, a book in hand. When Aubrey exited the bathroom, a black hoodie and yoga pants on she ran her brush through her hair. Aubrey's ash-blond hair had grown to just past her shoulders she refused to cut it until completely necessary. Hydra had been in charge of so many in her life...it was nice to be in charge of something so small as to her hair length. After deftly braiding her hair Aubrey eyed the book Bucky was reading.

"The Power of Now? What does that even mean?" Putting her Glock on the bedside table Aubrey plopped onto the bed, grinning when Glacier joined them.

" 'bout how to not get lost in one's head." Bucky's voice cracked from disuse. Aubrey scanned the cover, noting the crisp, newness of the pages.

"Sounds like something we could both use a little more of. I can take first watch."

Bucky chuckled under his breath, getting off the bed. " No, you sleep. I'll wake you in a couple of hours." Shrugging, Aubrey slipped beneath the covers and turned off the lamp. The thought of seeing her family tomorrow excited her beyond reason and she drifted off with a fuzzy image of her family in her head.

Bucky woke her around one in the morning, stiffly Aubrey stood and stretched her limbs. They whined in protest from disuse, Bucky plopped onto the bed and fell asleep quickly. After her rounds, Aubrey settled at the kitchen table, eyeing the self-help book with suspicion. After scowling at the book Aubrey drug it across the table-top, opening to the first page. The book proved somewhat helpful, talking about how many people suffer from bad mental images that revisit often. The book talked about various exercises that can help bring yourself back to the present. Before she knew it Aubrey looked at the clock and gasped in surprise. It was just after eight-thirty. Aubrey dug through her duffel bag and changed into one of the few shirts she hadn't worn yet. A dark red ruffled short-sleeve blouse, she paired it with a darker pair of jeans and her combat boots. Letting her hair down Aubrey woke Bucky. They packed their bags, fed Glacier, and got onto the road once again.

They left Albion Nebraska and an hour later entered Omaha Nebraska. As they got further into the city people started to dance in front of Aubrey's eyes, past memories plaguing her mind. Snippets of her and others walking down sidewalks and driving around flashed like a stop motion film. Aubrey felt her lungs start to contract, gasping she pulled into a parking lot for a playground. Bucky had started saying her name but it sounded gurgled and far away. Opening her door, Aubrey fell out of the car and onto her knees, she grasped at the cement. Her lungs screaming for more air. A shadow fell over her as Bucky crouched in front of Aubrey, his voice low.

"Brie, I'm here, it's alright. You're safe. What you see is from the past." After several minutes Aubrey felt her mind relax, leaning back she let the sunshine on her face as she breathed deeply, using one of the techniques from the self-help book. Aubrey repeated to herself everything she had done yesterday, bringing herself back to the present. Bucky had continued to speak the same thing over and over.

"I'm here, your safe." and Aubrey latched onto the words, whispering

"I'm here...I'm safe" A single tear traveled down her face "-I kept seeing myself and other people and everything kept flashing faster and faster. Sorry"

"You have nothing to be sorry for Brie. Are you okay?" Aubrey gulped and nodded

"Yeah..yeah I'm okay. Just need to drive slow. Bucky held his hand out and Aubrey let him help her to her feet. She sat back in the driver's seat and puffed a breath out of her lips. Bucky sat back in the passenger seat, murmuring under his breath

"Are you sure you want to do this? It might be more painful then you think."

"I..need to do it...It's time. Need to face the memories head-on. Just...prepare yourself."

"I'm here" Bucky echoed quietly as Aubrey started the car once again.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N*. Sorry, it took so long to get this out! I really wanted to nail this one on the head both emotionally and story-wise, honestly one of my favorite chapters and it's Suuuupperr long. Just a disclaimer; The only reason that Aubrey and her cousin call each other geek and weirdo is because my cousin and I do that in real life and its something I really wanted to put in.**

**FrozenTangledDisney4Life: Thank you so much! I'm honored that people take the time to read what I write!**

**Thank you to everyone who is reading!**

The hum of the engine was their companion as Aubrey followed her instincts, many years of driving to her parent's house took over as Aubrey went on auto-pilot. Soon...too soon Aubrey was pulling into an all-to-familiar neighborhood and parking the car in a driveway that had pots and flowers in full bloom. Many of the flowers were varying shades of red and cat-eye green. Bucky eyed Aubrey as she stared at the house. Its faded bricks, tan siding, the house's three-car garage and maple tree in the front yard, with full bird-feeders swinging from the branches, it seemed to take her back to her childhood days. Taking a deep breath Aubrey glanced at Bucky before nimbly exiting the car and letting Glacier out. He woofed, sensing both the nervous energy and excitement before faithfully following Aubrey on the walkway, up the steps, and to the door. Her hand went up to knock but hesitated, Aubrey felt Bucky's presence behind her and his voice whispered

"I can go if it's easier." Aubrey's head shook violently as tears threatened to fall.

"No..please...stay."

"Alright, then I'm here…..Whenever you're ready."

Aubrey steadied herself before knocking on the glass storm door. Dogs on the other side started to bark, footsteps sounded on the other side and the inner-door swung open, enabling Aubrey to gaze into her mother's sea-blue eyes for the first time in years. The storm-door clicked before swinging open and Aubrey's mother gasped, stuttering

"Au...Aub….Aubrey…? I...how can this be.?" Aubrey sniffled and watched as her mother's puzzled look melted into one of pure joy when she nodded, confirming the question. Her mother's words became unintelligible as she pulled Aubrey into the house, embracing her tightly.

"My girl, my baby girl" her mother's whisper was choked with tears as she spoke in Aubrey's ear.

"Mom" as all Aubrey was able to get out. After several more moments they pulled back, Aubrey cleared her throat, unused to all the emotion. Bucky stood awkwardly behind them in the walkway to the house. Aubrey motioned him forward, trying not to cry too much at the sight of her mom's waterworks.

"Mom, this is Bucky, he's… like me." her mother nodded along and ushered the Soldiers into the house, her hands shaking with joy. Glacier not far behind. Aubrey picked her backpack up from the floor and swallowed her emotions. Two small grey dogs sat on the couch, whining anxiously. Aubrey's mind clicked and she smiled as Glacier sniffed the dogs from her childhood. Her Mother ushered them into the living room and sat Aubrey onto the couch. Bucky silently had been following and sat on the edge of the couch, watching as her mom sat beside her. Aubrey's mother kept staring at her as if memorizing every inch of Aubrey's face, side-eyeing Bucky. Her mouth opened to speak but was interrupted by the front door opening again. Two younger boys bounded in, speaking over each other.

"Mom! There's this-"

"Weird car in the-"

"Driveway!-" but the boys froze at the sight of two strangers and gulped, this time the older-looking one spoke

"Mom…? Why are you bawling your eyes out?... What's going on?"

Her Mom looked lost so Aubrey stood and came over, her hands trembled as she kneeled and met their eyes.

"Hi there, you may not remember me but...I remember you…-" she paused and gulped nervously "-my name's Aubrey and I'm your big sister." The boys looked confused and Aubrey nodded understandingly. The younger of the two looked at Aubrey, mistrust flicking in his eyes, his voice skeptical as he spoke.

"Where have you been? How come I don't 'member you-" the boy paused and looked at Bucky "- and who's that?"

"Why don't you come sit down and I'll explain, okay?" Aubrey warmly smiled at the boys as they followed to the couch and sat on the floor, staring up at the newcomers.

Aubrey's mother traced every movement with her eyes and waited for Aubrey to speak. Taking a deep breath she told the boys about how she had been taken a little over five years ago. Aubrey glossed over her time at Hydra, not wishing to scare them. She spoke to them about her escape and mentioned Bucky several times. Noting the way her mother was watching Bucky with a tentative look. When Aubrey finished the boy's eyes had widened and her Mother had an indescribable sadness lingering in her eyes. Bucky's smile was tired as he shifted on the couch, leaning slightly towards Aubrey, memories gleaming in his eyes. The boys seemed unsettled and scampered away soon after, mumbling among themselves. An awkward silence blanketed the living room and Aubrey cleared her throat uncomfortably. Her mother had picked up her phone and nervously looked at Aubrey, her voice unsure

"I..the rest of the family would want to see you but...I don't know if..thats som..something you want or-" but Aubrey cut her off.

"Yes….that would be...nice"

"Okay….okay...I'll um..go set it up now" Her mother stood and disappeared into the hallway, hushed voices sounding. Aubrey puffed a breath out of her lips, fingers fiddling with her shirt nervously. She turned to find Bucky studying her

"Everything okay?" he asked

"Yeah….yeah...It's.. awkward."

They both grinned and Bucky chuckled, his face coloring "Very." Aubrey felt herself relax slightly as Glacier came over, out of breath from playing with her family's schnauzers. Out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey glanced her mother peeking around the corner of the hallway, watching her and Bucky talk.

"How 'bout you?" Aubrey used Bucky's slang for about, his slang had been rubbing off on her. She tried in vain to ignore her mother but Aubrey felt her face warm and her words came out with clicks, her O's slight whistles. The stress and emotion had started to get to her.

"It was kinda hard listening to everything all over again-" Bucky paused and Aubrey knew who he was thinking about.

"I'll ask about her soon, I promise" Bucky nodded and tried to change the subject.

"It's also, like you said….awkward...so awkward. Your mom keeps staring at me….Is that normal? It doesn't seem normal." he had started to ramble, a telltale sign of how nervous he had become. Glacier trotted over and rested his head on Bucky's crisscrossed legs, whining softly. Bucky frowned and tried to ignore the dog but several moments later he sighed and relented, patting Glacier on the head.

"Maybe... you're not the most horrible beast to walk this earth," he grumbled, scratching Glacier's ears. Aubrey's mother chose that moment to re-enter the room, her phone in hand. Her eyes zipped between the two of them as she spoke

"Tomorrow afternoon everyone will be here." At that moment Aubrey's two younger brothers tore through the house, their screams echoing off the walls. Her mother grabbed them as they tried to run past. They stopped running with a stern look and stood in front of Aubrey's mother, elbowing each other.

"What is wrong with you two!" she scolded.

"Mom! Daniel took Blue Puppy!" Jesse crowed

Daniel tried to defend himself "NO I didn't! I promise!" Aubrey's mom looked between the two boys and sighed.

"Where did you see him last?" Jessie shrugged and Aubrey's mom seemed to see an opportunity and take it.

"Well while you look how about you refresh Aubrey's memory of the house?" the boys shrugged before begrudgingly going over to Aubrey. Standing she smiled at them and tried not to look like a threat. Bucky moved to follow but Aubrey's mother cut in.

"He can stay here, I have a few questions for him" Bucky tried in vain to hide his disdain at being left alone without Aubrey's comforting presence but her mom ignored it. Aubrey looked at Bucky and mouthed "that okay?" he winced and nodded. Aubrey was satisfied with that answer and followed her brothers through the ranch house and the basement. Yet they ignored a certain room with purple ribbons taped to the door, the sight of it tickled Aubrey's mind but she shoved the memories away to deal with later. She was here with her family and was not going to throw the chance to see her loved ones away.

Bucky Barnes P.O.V.

Aubrey had disappeared with her little brothers, and Bucky wondered if the next few moments with her mother would be excruciating. But Aubrey's mother brought him out of his head as she sat across from him on the couch and seemed to be studying him.

"So, you guys are friends..?" She watched Bucky with a mother's eye as he answered, unsure what she wanted him to say.

"Yes...We did missions together during Hydra. After Project Insight we escaped and went into hiding together. Her wings had been ripped off in one of the helicarriers." Aubrey's mother frowned but didn't say anything as she continued her interrogation.

"And...you've...killed people?"

Bucky's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to think of an answer

"I..theres things that I've done that I have had no control over. They haunt me every day, your daughter has gone through the same thing. We've both done things that will forever be upon our consciences." He artfully avoided the question and felt relief wash over him as his super-human senses picked up Aubrey's voice coming back towards the living room. But her mother got one more question out, her eyes hardening

"Who are you?"

Bucky felt his eyebrows hike up his forehead.

"Umm...I..what?" confusion and embarrassment clouded his face. Fortunately, Aubrey and her brothers re-entered the room at that moment saving Bucky from answering the question. Aubrey looked back and forth between the two and clicked her teeth under her breath, sensing the uncomfortable air that had settled in the room.

Aubrey's P.O.V

Aubrey watched her mom cook dinner, answering her questions about everything that had happened and stashing the cooking information away for later. Around dinner time the hum of a car sounded in the driveway and Aubrey knew before everyone else that someone had arrived. She stiffened and jumped out of her seat at the island, her hands straying to the Glock strapped on the small of her back. Bucky had done the same, his metal arm whirring, changing into combat mode. But Aubrey's brothers pushed past and jumped around the door. It opened and whoever it was, was met with bouncy hugs from her eleven and eight-year-old brothers. Aubrey heard a deep chuckle and clocked the invader as a man. Cautiously she crept closer and looked around the corner of the wall to the back door. Aubrey's mom gave the man a hug but he froze when his eyes landed on Aubrey, who had come into full view. The man's face flashed several emotions at once.

"I...Aubrey?" he stuttered

"Yeah...yeah,-" she trailed off, taking in her father just as she had her mother. A tentative smile came to her face as she whispered. "-Hi Dad" He came forward and embraced Aubrey tightly. Tears glistened in his eyes as he pulled back, his eyes seeing Bucky for the first time. His eyes clouded with battling emotions, confusion, surprise, but one shown through more than the others. Love. For what he had lost and now for what he had found...his Daughter

"How…?" he whispered

"It's...a long story..and later I have something to give you guys." Her mom ushered them to the dinner table where they had a quiet dinner. After, Aubrey's mom asked if they were staying at the house. Aubrey admitted she had hoped to stay here and her mom seemed delighted, taking Aubrey to the closed door of her room. Aubrey stood before the door, unsure whether she was ready to go in or not. Bucky, who had been interrogated by her brothers about his metal arm came up behind them. Aubrey reached into her backpack and pulled out the thick scrapbook, handing it to her mom who was glaring at Bucky.

"Don't read it now" she murmured under her breath. Her mother nodded and gave Bucky a stern look before leaving the hallway. Aubrey's hand hovered above the doorknob before she turned it and listened as the door creaked open. Her eyes raked over the room, memories flashing before her eyes. Aubrey took deep breaths, trying to focus on something to pull her back to the present. Her mind latched onto Bucky's voice

"I'm here." Sucking in a breath Aubrey stepped into the room, her hand running along the bed cover.

"I spent the first nineteen years of my life here.-" she whispered "- I was twenty one when I was taken….I wonder if my house is still in my name" Aubrey memorized every detail of the room, the pale pink walls and hot pink curtains, brown blinds. The baby pictures on the dresser and desk, various knick-knacks littered their surfaces, several long-dead cactuses, and succulents lived on the windowsill.

This time Bucky didn't stop her when she offered to take first watch. She stood a silent guardian over the house, a promise to protect those close to her. While her family slept Aubrey walked the perimeter and stationed herself in the living room, the center of the house, her notched bow in hand. Throughout the night she reminiscent about her life Before, everything that had happened, how careless she had been. Around four in the morning, Aubrey woke Bucky and they switched. She slid between the covers of her old bed, her body remembered it and Aubrey immediately found a comfortable position and slept better than she had slept in a long time. Nightmares didn't plague her that night, instead, she was met with memories from her past. They were full of light and joy, and Aubrey had a deep, restful sleep.

She woke to the smell of cooking meat and Bucky banging the door open, his face flushed.

"I think you need to get up-." he grunted "-your parents keep questioning me and your brothers keep hanging off my arm.-" Bucky paused and cleared his throat, sounding almost pitiful "-Please..?"

Aubrey sighed and got up, changing into a short-sleeved black shirt and leggings with teal stripes running down the sides, running her brush through her hair before standing at the end of the hallway, taking a moment to breathe deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. Stepping out, Aubrey was met with sunlight streaming through the windows, Glacier trotting over happily and her mother….her mother smiling blissfully at Aubrey. A smile ghosted Aubrey's lips as she tried to convince herself that this was real. Daniel and Jesse seemed more comfortable with her this morning and greeted Aubrey as she sat at the island.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early! When-" Aubrey's mother trailed off, tears forming in her eyes, she cleared her throat before continuing. Glancing at Aubrey to make sure this was okay to talk about. After a small nod her mom continued:

"-When you were a teenager I had to rouse you at nine every morning. And here you are, just after seven-thirty...how things change-" she paused to flip what Aubrey assumed was toast and bacon. "-Your father was able to get the day off from work and I sent him to the store to get food for this afternoon."

"Who...all is coming?"

Aubrey's mother seemed ecstatic that she had asked and answered happily.

"Nammy and Poppy, Aunt Sarah, Caleb, Joel, Elsie-" she paused, waiting until Daniel and Jesse's cheers had finished at the names of their cousins. "- and Uncle Brock." Each name brought a familiar face to Aubrey's mind and she nodded. Aubrey's mother plopped a full plate in front of her and another in front of Bucky. Taking a bite Aubrey immediately recognized the flavor.

"Is...is this french toast?"

Her mom's smile stretched wide "I knew you'd remember, was your favorite for the longest time."

"Thank you…."- Aubrey paused, taking a moment to say what she wanted to, the word felt foreign on her tongue "-mom" and she watched her mother turn away to wipe her eyes. Bucky inhaled his breakfast and the look on his face said he was still hungry, Aubrey mirrored it and her mother laughed good-naturedly.

"I don't think you can prepare for one, let alone two Super Soldier appetites...mom" Aubrey attempted a joke and everyone chuckled. Between the two of them, Aubrey and Bucky consumed sixteen pieces of french toast and countless pieces of bacon. Although it seemed for several minutes that her brothers wanted to exceed their number but pettered out after each having three. Aubrey helped clean up breakfast even after her mom waved her off. Afterwords Bucky sidled over to where Aubrey was observing her brothers play with Legos, murmuring under his breath.

"You could show them your wings."

"I don't think they like..or remember me much."

"No, it's not that. This morning while I was keeping watch they were the first up and I heard them talking about you. Both are…-" Bucky paused, searching for the right word "-Unsure. Apparently your parents read the scrapbook and talked to your brothers and they don't want to accidentally trigger something.-" Aubrey cut him off

"So they think they're walking on thin ice..which is a horrible choice really."

"Absolutely the worst" Bucky grinned but became serious a moment later.

"Just an idea or you could just go and sit with them instead of standing here like a prison guard." Aubrey huffed and elbowed Bucky in the ribs before sucking in a breath and venturing closer to the boys. They tensed when she became close and crouched down.

"Hi guys" Aubrey attempted a smile but it felt like a grimace. The boy's eyes widened and Jesse squeaked

"Hi"

Clearing her throat, Aubrey tried again. "I..was wondering if you wanted to see my..erm wingsuit?"

Neither boy hesitated "Yeah!" Aubrey grinned and got the car keys, shoving her feet into her combat boots. Daniel and Jesse got their sneakers on and eagerly followed Aubrey outside to the car. In the trunk sat her tan backpack and Jesse frowned, his nose screwing up.

"That doesn't look like wings, it's just a backpack"

"It's not just a backpack! Backpacks can be very helpful" Aubrey reasoned as she led the boys to the backyard where it was less likely to be seen. Shrugging the backpack on Aubrey tapped the straps with her thumbs and felt the familiar calm of The Eagle settled over her as the suit traveled up and down her body and the silvery-gold wings unfolded. Aubrey watched, delighted as her brother's eyes lit up and their jaws went slack.

"Wow-"

"That's so cool!"

I wanna try-!"

The boys' words tripped over each other as they scrambled closer to look at the suit.

"Feel the feathers, they are really soft." Aubrey spread her wings and watched the boys finger the feathers.

"Can you fly then?" Daniel questioned

"Of course! Wanna see? And maybe mom will let me take you up with me" Aubrey raised an eyebrow as she shot into the sky, her jets blasting. The wind tousled her hair and Aubrey whooped, doing loops before landing gracefully.

"That-"

"Was-"

"Awesome!" the boys yelled in unison.

Aubrey grinned, glad she had found something in common with her brothers.

"Who wants to go first!?"

"ME!" They both shouted at once before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Aubrey grabbed Daniel around the waist and launched into the sky before he had a chance to realize what was happening. He squealed in delight as the wind blew into their faces, Aubrey did loops and turns. For the finale, she flew high into the air and turned her jets off, letting them free fall until the last possible moment. After smoothly landing Daniel bolted up the stairs to the deck and watched as Aubrey took Jessie into the air, repeating what she had done with Daniel. After she had landed the boys rushed inside to tell their mom about their flight. Aubrey stood on the deck, watching birds windsurf above her when her father's gravelly voice sounded behind her, making Aubrey jump. He came beside her and leaned his arms on the railing.

"You are the strongest person I know and thinking about what they did to you.. It makes me so angry" Her dad's voice trembled as he spoke and Aubrey knew he was being truthful.

Aubrey's voice cracked as she responded "Thank you...I..It is something that should never be wished upon anyone.-" the two lapsed into silence for several minutes. Her dad seemed to be contemplating something and he hesitated before speaking.

"Is it okay to trust him?"

"Bucky?" he nodded

"Yeah..I trust him with my life and he trusts me with his." Aubrey didn't hesitate in her answer, another question burst out of her dad's mouth.

"Why you… Why an innocent twenty-one year old. Why my daughter -" Her dad's voice cracked, lowering as he uttered the last sentence. His hands gripped the railing of the deck as he turned to face her, a single tear trailing down his face. "-Why you, why him?"

Aubrey felt her chin wobble as she met her father's green eyes, her mind taking a moment to conjure an answer.

"You know why. I'm not normal. I never had been. I can disappear..and..and" Aubrey froze, something new emerging from her mind, she had another power...but she couldn't remember what...it had been a secret. Her father was giving her an odd look and Aubrey attempted to smile. "Sorry...Sometimes things come back and it takes a minute to...to process it-" Her dad nodded understandingly, something sad in his eyes and waited for her to go on. Aubrey took a breath and continued

"They chose me because I knew karate, and because of my powers. Bucky...In World War II he was captured by the original Red Skull and experimented on. I'm not sure why he was chosen but it's in the past. We are safe now." Her father sighed, something heavy in his voice as he started to respond but was cut off by the sliding glass door opening and her mom peeking her head out, her voice breathless

"They're here." Aubrey gulped, feeling their eyes on her. She nodded and followed behind her dad. Bucky stood just inside the house and met Aubrey's eyes immediately, his eyes asking if she was alright. A slight nod relaxed his figure and Bucky shoved his hands in his jean pockets, watching as Aubrey stashed her tan backpack behind the couch. Her parents had already disappeared out the front door, in several strides Aubrey had made it to the door. Aubrey's eyes took in all the people in the drive-way, her hand strayed to the storm-door handle and she puffed a breath of air through her lips, clicking her tongue, the sound comforting. Before she headed out, her legs wobbled but Aubrey felt Bucky's presence behind her. It spurred her on, down the steps and around one of the cars to where everyone had congregated. Her mother seemed to be explaining something to everyone else. Aubrey took in everyone's faces, her eyes resting on her cousin Caleb. He seemed to have been the first person to notice her come around the white Subaru. His eyes widened and he weaved around the rest of her family, coming to stand beside her. Caleb paused when he noticed Bucky, like a shadow behind Aubrey, his arms crossed and examining everyone. A silent guardian. Aubrey took a slight step forward and took in a breath

"Hi Caleb." He grinned, a mischievous gleam in his eye, in one move he had enveloped Aubrey in a tight hug. It only lasted a moment as he took a step back and looked her over one more time.

"You remember me?" his voice was deeper then she remembered. Aubrey attempted to respond but her speech came out as her own language, clicks, and whistles. She frowned and cleared her throat, Bucky answered for her, giving Aubrey time to collect herself.

"One of the first things she remembered was her family." Caleb looked like he wanted to respond but Bucky nudged Aubrey and nodded towards where the rest of her family was. They had silenced and where staring at her, various emotions in their eyes. Her Aunt was the first to come forward, her hand coming up to swipe a strand of hair away from Aubrey's face. "Welcome home, Dolly" she whispered, tears traveling freely down her face. Aubrey smiled weakly and pulled her Aunt closer for a hug, whispering back "Thanks Aunty". Aubrey was met with the rest of her family, each one hugging her and whispering something. Everyone had tears rolling down their faces by the time Aubrey's mother ushered everyone inside. Caleb's younger siblings Joel and Elsie had yet to approach Aubrey and she understood completely. As she followed everyone inside Aubrey turned to Bucky and whispered

"I wish your family were here too. I'm sorry, this is probably hard."

"Life is hard, but this...seeing you with your family. It makes me happy for you." He sounded like there was something else he wanted to say.

"But?" Aubrey paused, just outside the door, turning to Bucky and finding his eyes wet.

"I miss them." his chest shuddered and Bucky tried to turn away but Aubrey followed, pausing when she heard footsteps coming towards the door. She whirled around and held up her hand to her mom and mouth "One minute, I'll be in soon". Her mom nodded and disappeared back inside, a concerned look on her face. She seemed to realize that they needed a minute and closed the front door so no one could watch. Aubrey caught up with Bucky and stood in just behind him.

"I'm here-" she whispered. "-I'm here whenever you need someone to talk to. My family, they are here too, for me and you." But Bucky shook his head, staring at the grass as his voice rumbled

"No, they don't trust me. I'm tolerated because I'm here with you."

"They're just unsure. They've been through a lot.-" Bucky cut her off, his voice turning hard.

"-More than us Brie? You can't tell me they've been through more than us. They didn't have their..their humanity taken away. They didn't outlive their family."- he paused, his sobs quiet but his chest heaving "-I never got a chance to say goodbye." the note of brokenness in his voice broke something in Aubrey and she murmured

"-I'm going to touch you" her hand went up to his flesh-shoulder and her hand tightened, her whisper just audible for his super-soldier hearing. "-I'm here, and you're my family too. I think we've been through more than enough to be able to say that." Bucky inclined his head slightly to show he had heard her. Under his breath, Aubrey thought she heard him mutter "Thank you" while he said louder "I..need to do perimeter...Go inside and spend time with them while they are still here" Aubrey asked if he was sure and his only answer was a grunt as Bucky dried his face and set off to do a perimeter. Aubrey sighed heavily and went back inside, the doors clicking softly behind her. Glacier danced over, woofing happily as Aubrey scratched his ears. Her family sat in the living room and everyone seemed to tense when she entered as if expecting something to happen. But as she made her way over to the couch Aubrey felt a tug on her shirt, turning she found her eight-year-old cousin Elsie watching her with big brown doe-eyes. Crouching down to her level Aubrey smiled warmly and tried to sound friendly "Hi Elsie" the little girl smiled, seeming happy that the stranger knew her name.

"Hi-" she tittered back. "- I like your nails, they're so sparkly" Aubrey showed her hands to the girl

"Watch this" Aubrey watched as the nails warmed and grew to their full size. Elsie's eyes widened and she reached out gently fingering the talons.

"That's amazing! How did you do that?" Elsie questioned.

"Well at...my old work...they cut my regular fingernails really short and put these plates of special metal where the nail used to be" the little girl frowned and met Aubrey's eyes.

"I bet that hurt a lot. Momma said that you have had a hard life but I think you are stronger than they know and...and..yeah" The little girl sucked in a breath and scrunched up her face, thinking as Aubrey responded, choosing her words carefully.

"It did hurt but I'm stronger now you're right. Thank you for coming over to say hello" Elsie nodded "Are you gonna be an 'Venger now?"

"A what?"

" an Avenger" Aubrey took a moment to realize the girl was implying, the thought was something she hadn't really thought of before.

"Well...I'm not sure Elsie...It's not something that Bucky or I have ever thought about. I don't think it's safe for us to be around too many other people right now."

"Well, they'd be dumb not to let you-." Elsie concluded "- Now you can help people right? I have to go play with Jesse now. Bye," she waved to Aubrey before disappearing downstairs. Aubrey settled onto the couch and listened to her family talk. It was an hour before Bucky slipped back into the house. He walked through the family room to the kitchen and settled on one of the island stools. Caleb came upstairs and jumped onto the couch, squeezing in between Aubrey and her Aunt. He looked at Aubrey and grinned "Geek"

Aubrey remembered this was something they used to do and answered happily.

"Weirdo what do you need?"

"Back door, one minute." Caleb stood and took black sunglasses out of his pocket, putting them on with flourish and strutting back towards the door. Aubrey snorted and stood to her feet, following her cousin to the door. Bucky was already out there and raised his eyebrows at the sight of Caleb in his sunglasses and Aubrey with the confused look on her face. As soon as the door closed Aubrey's hands went to her hips and she looked at her cousin as he started to explain

"I..I'm not sure if this is something that could mess you up again. But do you remember that game we used to play….Assassin?"

Aubrey felt her face light up as she remembered the game "Yes! Can we play?" Caleb grinned and pulled Aubrey and Bucky down to the basement where her brothers and cousins were waiting excitedly. Aubrey remembered the base of the game and explained it to Bucky.

"In this game, there are papers for everyone in a jar, all but one says innocent. The other one says Assassin, everyone draws a paper. You get a thirty-second grace period and then the Assassin attempts to kill everyone but tries to not be killed by everyone else. We used to play it all the time. -" Aubrey paused and looked at Caleb "-Indoor and Outdoor?" his grin widened

"Yep! Papers are in the jar and we've already drawn-" Caleb took the jar from Daniel and motioned to a pile of fake swords, knives, and lightsabers. He held the jar out and Aubrey and Bucky drew a paper each. In messy handwriting were the words "Innocent, stay alive!" Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows as she tramped over to the weapons pile. She fingered a wooden sword but settled for a foam sword that looked a little like the Master Sword from Zelda. Picking the sword up Aubrey stepped back and watched Bucky take an assortment of knives and small swords. Aubrey just barely kept the evil grin off her face, they were so winning this thing. After Caleb yelled, "Go!" everyone dispersed, Bucky followed Aubrey, his whisper just loud enough for her Super-Soldier senses to pick up.

"You're innocent right?" and when Aubrey nodded he chuckled under his breath "seems kinda unfair but let's destroy them"

"Took the words right outta my mouth" Aubrey pronounced as she led Bucky out of the fence and around the edge, her sword in hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey watched Daniel and Jesse on the retaining wall on the side of the house. The two soldiers knew how to work together and started silently creeping their way along the fence-line.

Bucky's murmur was near-silent "Youngest two, Elsie and Jesse coming from the other side.-" He paused and looked at Aubrey, as if sensing her answer "-wanna let em come?"

"Yeah, it would be unfair."

Bucky snorted "It's already unfair."

"Yeah yeah..we're gonna crush em, how close are they?"

"Gonna see us any minute now." Bucky's statement was confirmed a moment later when Jesse and Elsie came running over, holding hands tightly. Jesse stumbled over to Aubrey and hugged her tightly.

"Will you protect us?" he mumbled and Aubrey couldn't help but say

"of course" she ignored Buckys look and they continued creeping along the fence, Jesse and Elsie between Bucky and Aubrey. As they rounded the corner Aubrey watched Daniel and Joel head towards the front yard. They moved quickly to the retaining wall and deftly Aubrey lifted the kids up while Bucky covered her back. They wove around the pine trees but Aubrey froze, causing the kids and Bucky to run into her. Joel had been 'killed' and was laying on the ground, waiting until the yard cleared. Daniel collapsed to the ground several feet away. Motioning for everyone else to stay put Aubrey crept forward to Joel and crouched down beside him. He eyed her suspiciously as she started to speak quickly.

"Who was it?"

"If I told you then you would be at an advantage" Joel defended, sitting up and wiping grass off of his shirt.

"I'm already at an advantage but alright, have it your way" Aubrey shrugged and got to her feet, creeping back to her group. But Aubrey stopped when she saw Caleb come back to the front yard.

"Hostile just entered front yard, has two swords and I'm pretty sure he's the Assasin."

"Certainly not acting like one, see how nervous he is? Keeps looking around. Can't imagine why he's so nervous" Bucky remarked.

"No idea why-" Aubrey cackled, making the little ones back up several steps. "-Time for dinner" she grinned, looking at Bucky, her eyes asking if he was ready. He nodded and whispered to the kids to stay put. Aubrey and Bucky came out into the clearing and the moment Caleb noticed them he froze, a look of terror flashing in his eyes.

"Hi guys-" he stammered "-wanna..wanna team up?"

"Unfortunately we are otherwise engaged, saving the day" Aubrey came closer, preparing to slash at Caleb but he grunted and bolted to the front door and inside. Aubrey growled and yelled to Jesse and Elsie. "Going after him! Be careful!" they nodded and watched as Aubrey and Bucky pursued. Launching themselves into the house, Aubrey looked at her family and they shrugged as if not knowing where Caleb had gone. But their body language said it all. Aubrey strode downstairs and glimpsed Caleb's redshirt bolting through the back yard. The super-soldiers slammed open the sliding glass door and followed Caleb across the yard. He had already slipped through the gate but Aubrey knew a faster way. Over the fence. She picked up speed and leaped over, landing just in front of Caleb. He slid to a stop and turned around to find Bucky grinning evilly, several fake knives in hand.

"Any last words?" Aubrey taunted and Caleb muttered

"Not fair you have the upper hand, even though I'm taller than you."

"That was the wrong thing to say" Aubrey jumped forward, swiping Caleb to the ground and heroically "killing" him. Aubrey and Bucky cheered, high-fiving and dragging Caleb to the front of the house where Joel, Daniel, Elsie, and Jesse were waiting.

"Got 'em!" she crowed happily. They trooped inside and much to Caleb's dislike, Aubrey announced her and Bucky's win to the whole house. She was met with high-fives and happy looks on her parent's faces. The group went back downstairs and re-drew papers, Aubrey tried to conceal her smirk at the sight of the word "Assassin" on her card. Everyone chose their weapons and vacated the room. Aubrey split up with Bucky and headed upstairs and into the garage, creeping around the cars. She heard a rustle behind her and whirled around, Joel was coming out of the house, a suspicious look on his face.

"Hello comrade-" he drawled, jumping down the stairs, wooden axe in hand. "I asked Caleb and both he and Daniel are innocent. So I took a guess" He came closer and attempted to dart around Aubrey, his small size giving a slight advantage. Aubrey blocked his axe and used one of Bucky's fake knives to throw at Joel, hitting him in the chest faster then he could react. Joel's eyes widened as he fell to the ground"dying"

"Your good at that" he mumbled as Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows, leaving the scene, chirping

"Wish me luck!" Aubrey then ventured inside and found Bucky in her bedroom, stationed just inside the room, his body tense and ready to strike. But he relaxed at the sight of Aubrey, his eyes trusting her. Aubrey cleared her throat, her plan already forming.

"Everything okay?" she asked

"Yeah, know who it is?"

"Nope found Joel's body in the garage though. I think it might be Daniel.-" Bucky nodded, taking the bait. "-Although maybe we should move outside, kinda cramped in here. We could get caught off guard real fast." Aubrey reasoned, knowing it would be easier to pick Bucky off outside. They made their way to the backyard where Aubrey let Bucky take the lead. He stopped at the edge of the fence and Aubrey saw Daniel heading their way, his jaw set with determination. Bucky grinned, a sparkle in his eye and Aubrey watched him but made sure to stay close, waiting until it was time to strike. Bucky swiftly threw a fake knife and Daniel went down, whining about how he wasn't the murderer. Aubrey grinned wickedly and watched as Bucky stiffened and turned around, his eyes going immediately to Aubrey's sword that was poised to strike. He shook his head and Aubrey thought he was mad but instead realized he was chuckling, his look going from shock to glee, he clearly thought Aubrey was going to lose.

"I should have known. Anyone can betray anyone" He breathed, making eye contact with Aubrey. In the background, she heard Daniel yelling to everyone else to come watch her and Bucky fight it out. Her ears picked up pounding footsteps on the retaining wall but her focus had gone to Bucky. Slowly they circled each other, Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows and attempted to swipe at Bucky, he easily dodged and tried to throw one of his knives. Aubrey grabbed it and held onto the knife for later. Aubrey took Bucky by surprise, launching herself off the ground, landing behind Bucky, swiping his legs out from under him, and using his own fake knife to "stab" Bucky in the back. He grunted and fell to the ground, mumbling something under his breath. Aubrey stashed the words away for later and grinned, thrusting her sword into the air triumphantly. In the background, she heard her cousins and brothers cheers but she held out her hand to Bucky. He scrunched his eyebrows at her before taking her hand and letting her help him to his feet and wiping his jeans off.

"I beat you" she grinned, lightly punching him on his flesh-arm.

"For now" Bucky shot back, picking his knife off the ground. Everyone headed inside and the rest of the day went by quickly. Aubrey's family stayed for Pizza and left an hour after dinner. She could tell by looking at Bucky that he was emotionally exhausted, and noticed that he seemed to be done with people for the day. Around seven o'clock he disappeared into Aubrey's bedroom. Half an hour later she excused herself, doing a quick perimeter before gently knocking and going in. Bucky was sitting comfortably on Aubrey's bed, his brown leather journal in hand. He sensed her and didn't look up when she entered. Glacier lifted his head from where he was laying on the floor in a cocoon of blankets. Cautiously Aubrey scooted onto the bed, laying her head back against the wall and puffing a breath out of her lips, her tongue clicking softly. After mentally collecting herself Aubrey gazed at Bucky

"Everything alright?" she questioned

"Yeah..yeah...today was just..exhausting." He looked over to her and she noted the battling emotions in his eyes.

"I'll take first watch tonight" Aubrey swallowed her exhaustion and prepared to jump off the bed but Bucky shook his head stubbornly.

"I think we are both exhausted and I've been working with Glacier when I'm on watch. I think we should let him guard tonight. Your mother mentioned an air mattress I could use, that way if either of us has nightmares no one gets hurt." Aubrey contemplated it for a moment before nodding.

"Ok, you take care of Glacier and I'll get the bed." The Soldiers dispersed to get everything done and soon the mattress was set up and Glacier was doing perimeter on the property, prepared to wake either one if anything alerted him. Bucky settled on his mattress and Aubrey heard his snores fill the room soon after. Aubrey sat awake for quite a while, going over everything that had happened, trying to mentally memorize every detail of her family's faces. Eventually, she too drifted off, yet her youngest cousin's words echoed in her mind. _"Now you can help people...right?"_. Silently Aubrey vowed to try and help not only people but the Avengers in any way she could.

That night something monumental happened. The Soldiers shed their skin, breaking through past barriers. The Soldiers were no longer soldiers but people. People with an identity and a family, with a name and a face. Instead of a mind of madness, they had a mind of their own. The two still had hurdles to get over, their past would never be forgotten but for now, they had everything they needed. Family and Friendship.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N* Hellooo Everyone! So I've been wondering if I were to do a separate fanfic that had more of the missions the Eagle went on (with and without Bucky), would anyone like to read that? It would have more detail (along with dates) and would have a large range/possibly more characters, I could also go into her training more/enhancement surgeries. If so then either comment or privately message me! Its something I've been thinking about for quite a while.**

**Anyway, sorry for the long ramble, Happy 4th of July!**

**(Also, Chapter 15! woot woot, prepare yourself for an EPIC chapter. It's super long but cutting it up would have ruined the suspense.) :)**

Aubrey woke the next morning, feeling refreshed and after a moment jumped out of her bed. Bucky's bed was empty and Glacier was curled up beside her, he looked at her lazily and yawned before flopping his head back down. Aubrey leaned over and scratched his ears, murmuring "Good boy Glacier" a smile flitted to her lips as she got ready and made an entrance into the living room. Bucky was at the table inhaling his food, barely even acknowledging Aubrey's presence. He grunted and took a moment to point to a plate of waffles and bacon before returning to his food.

"Hello to you too" Aubrey snarked, still wiping sleep from her eyes. Aubrey took several waffles and put them on a plate, taking note of the bag of chocolate chips and jar of peanut butter.

"What are these for?"

"Your mom said that you used to put the chips on your waffle, melt them and put peanut butter on top."

Aubrey frowned "that sounds odd...but maybe it's worth a try..right?" She spread generous amounts of chocolate chips on her waffles before microwaving them. The waffles came out steamy and Aubrey spread the chocolate around, finishing it off with peanut butter on top and syrup. Grabbing several strips of bacon Aubrey plopped down on the kitchen island with her food and a book she had found in her closet...well one book out of many. Apparently, she had read a lot before Hydra, her closet was practically exploding with books. This one seemed well-loved, it's cover had wear marks and many of its pages bent. Aubrey fingered the title "Keeper of the Lost Cities" before opening it and reading as she ate. The waffle with it's toppings was by far one of her favorite foods. Minutes later Aubrey's mother appeared from the backyard, fresh produce in her hands.

"Good morning, I was in the garden. Glad to see you still like waffles. Everyone is coming over this afternoon again...I hope that's alright."

"Mhmm" Aubrey mumbled around her mouth full of food. Her mother laughed at the sight of her bent over a book.

"I can't tell you how many times I came into this kitchen to find you reading whilst you ate." Aubrey looked at her mother and smiled

"Old habits die hard. I think that when Buck and I have to go I might take a couple books with me." Her mother's face fell

"You're leaving?"

"No no, not yet. But eventually, as much as I hate it...Bucky and I will have to go again. Otherwise, there's a chance that either Hydra or the Avengers will track us down. But I will leave a way to contact me. Everything will be okay" Aubrey watched her mom for her reaction. Her mother nodded, looking slightly crestfallen

"I understand Aubrey...I just wish you could stay"

"Me too mom" she echoed quietly.

The day passed quietly until Aubrey's family got there, then everything started to speed up. Feeling more comfortable with everyone and they with her, Aubrey sat beside her family and made an effort to be apart of the conversation. They all had a lot of questions and she did her best to answer. Bucky was there for a while but disappeared outside before too long, a longing look in his eyes. When dinner came around Aubrey's mother had lasagna in the oven and turned on the tv to look at the news. Aubrey was sitting on the floor, letting Elsie braid her hair and playing Uno with her brothers and other cousins (She had won several games already). But Aubrey's gaze snapped to the T.V when she heard the Avengers mentioned. Her hand went to a commlink that she wore whenever Bucky went out, tapping it twice it turned on.

"Buck..? I think you need to see this." He responded almost immediately and was in the house several moments later, watching the television with a wary look in his eyes. Aubreys family had also paused to listen as the main story came on.

"This is Madaline Bell with Channel five news and tonight we bring you a troubling story...and perhaps a warning. Tony Stark has been attempting in secret to build an android that would become a suit of armor around the world. But we have from a secret source that this android has turned evil and seeks to kill mankind. We recommend that you stay off the internet and in your houses until we know exactly what is going on. The android, known as Ultron, was last seen in Sokovia. More when we come back, after this break"

Aubrey looked at Bucky, an idea forming in her mind, an idea too dangerous to voice out loud yet. His eyebrows were scrunched as he frowned, meeting Aubrey's eyes. She stood, saying she would be right back and headed outside Bucky on her heels. The minute the door clicked shut Aubrey turned and spoke what she had been thinking.

"I think we should go to Sokovia, be there in case the Avengers need help." Bucky's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to form an answer.

"Brie...I don't know."

"I promised myself that I would do anything to help people, make up for everything we've done. All we have to do is be there if they need help. Afterward, we book it back here. To Omaha not my parent's house. Then we can track down my friends and see if she's alright…. If you don't want to go that's fine...I'll go by myself." she finished, watching for his reaction. After a few moments, Bucky sighed and mumbled

"Fine."

"Okay..okay...Well I guess I need to tell my family.… Then we can pack and go. Maybe we can leave Glacier here and I can fly us there." Aubrey went to open the door as Bucky spoke

"I'll pack, take your time with them, Brie."

"Thanks, Buck" she whispered, coming back inside. Ten pairs of eyes watched Aubrey and Bucky come back inside. Bucky disappeared into the hallway as Aubrey made her way to the center of the room, clearing her throat quietly

"So… Hearing the news about the Avengers and Ultron made me start thinking. And last night I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to help people. I talked to Bucky and we are going to Sokovia, just in case the Avengers need help." she was met with silence, but Elsie spoke out, a twinkle in her eyes.

"I knew you could do it" her voice was quiet but to Aubrey it meant everything. Tears were in many of her family's eyes and her mother came forward.

"Aubrey, why? You've been through so much. Why put yourself through more. I can't lose you again" her mother's voice cracked.

"Because I spent much of my life doing things that are unspeakable. I need to prove to myself that I am good, that I can do good. It's something Bucky and I both need to do. I promise you won't lose me, I figured out a way to stay in touch with you all and I'll try to drop by often." Aubrey looked to her father to see what he thought and she found pride shining in his eyes.

"We may not have had enough time with you but we raised you right. Go do what you were meant to do...Just...don't forget us normos back here." Aubrey felt tears prick her eyes as she hugged her parents.

"I won't ever forget you. You all are my family and I love you all so very much" her other relatives came over and said their various goodbyes, Bucky appeared with two large backpacks, waiting in the shadows until Aubrey was done. Quietly she pulled her parents aside to explain how they would stay in touch.

"Because I go through so many burner phones I made a program that will discreetly send you the number of my burner, that way you can always contact me." Aubrey downloaded her program into their phones and handed them a stick drive with an extra copy in case their phones were lost.

"One more thing,-" Aubrey asked, "- could I leave Glacier here?" her parents nodded and Aubrey said goodbye to everyone one more time, stopping to crouch down to Elsie's level.

"Thank you, Miss Elsie, for believing in me"

"You're welcome, but..be careful"

"I will-" Aubrey pulled the little girl into a hug and whispered, "-Love you."

Bucky came out of the shadows as Aubrey straightened up, taking her tan backpack from his hands and shrugging it on. Her suit melted on and Aubrey felt the familiar weight of the wings as they unfolded. Bucky followed her outside

"So how are we going to get there exactly?"

Aubrey grinned and unhooked a bungee cord with a buckle from her belt. Bucky took it and clipped it on. Within minutes they were in the air and Aubrey chuckled when she noticed Bucky's face of discomfort.

"Don't like flying?"

"It's..terrifying." Bucky stuttered, his eyes flitting shut. They flew for what felt like hours and several times Aubrey felt herself nod off. By the end of the day, they had made it to the coast of the U.S. Briefly they stopped and ate, Bucky stopping to get anti-nausea pills.

"I doubt these will work with our metabolisms" he grunted as they prepared to take off again. Aubrey flew through the night and by the next night they had landed on the edge of Sokovia. They stumbled upon a small abandoned house and found a way in. Once inside Aubrey pulled out the laptop, starting to try and figure out exactly where Ultron had been seen last. Bucky did a perimeter and checked the house for cameras while she worked. Aubrey hacked into a hidden radio feed run by an A.I. Digging deeper she found that the feed branched off into several. Plugging her headphones into the computer, Aubrey held them up to her ears and listened to the jabber. Aubrey paused when she heard a familiar voice come across the network. Frowning, Aubrey looked at Bucky and mouthed "Captain America is talking on here". Bucky came over and took the headphones, listening for a moment before handing them back to Aubrey.

"Ultron was seen in one of the cities to the east.-" he grunted, picking up his backpack, unzipping it and pulling out their combat suits. "-thought these might come in handy eventually." Aubrey put the headphones down and took the suit, fingering the thick black fabric with silvery veins.

"Smart...Did you fix the holes in it?" she looked at several patches, they had to be new.

"Yeah, figured if you fixed your wings I should fix our suits, brought the extra armor too." He pulled several other articles out and Aubrey nodded approvingly before heading to the bedroom to change. The suit fit like a glove and Aubrey had to pause, her mind remembering all the times she had worn the suit. She ran her fingers down the sides as she put on her tan backpack and activated the wings. The wings unfolded, another strap forming around Aubrey's waist, attracted to the metal in her bones. The jets hummed as Aubrey tapped the straps again, they melted into chest armor and she felt herself slide into the chilling calmness of the Eagle. Coming back into the main room she watched Bucky put on his chest armor, along with strapping on his knives. He motioned to his bag "The rest of your stars are in there". Aubrey thanked him and pulled out the rest of her throwing stars. Normally she kept several in her boots, now she stashed them her many pockets. Her knives were always close by, grabbing them out of her jacket Aubrey strapped them to her hips and legs. Putting two extra in her combat boots. Bucky had just finished strapping on his guns. After packing up Aubrey slipped her arrows into the holder built into her wings and picked up her bow.

"Ready?" she asked, meeting Bucky's eyes.

"Nervous?" he quirked his eyebrow at Aubrey and she grinned as she pulled her goggles out of her pack, securing them on.

"No...just ready." Quietly the two plodded out, making sure to make it look like it had before. Aubrey pulled her burner out of her pocket and brought up a map, looking for the exact area. Soon she found it and looked to Bucky

"Are we flying or walking?"

"As much as I hate flying...it is faster" he relented, his face tinging green at the thought of flying again. Aubrey snickered and a few moments later they were soaring through the sky in the fading light. Oranges and shades of pink splayed across the sky as they flew. Aubrey pushed her jets to top speeds and by midnight they had landed in Eastern Sokovia. Under nightfall, they landed, both on alert. Taking in the surroundings, several areas around the city were heavily wooded, while others had fields of long grass that waved with the wind.

"Any ideas on where we should be? Or do we just wait it out?" Bucky questioned, his voice just loud enough for Aubrey's hearing.

"Not really, let me do a search for heat signatures."

He nodded "Heres a commlink and a tracker so we know where we are." Aubrey took the commlink and tracker, attaching the bracelet to her wrist, Bucky doing the same. Taking a running start Aubrey started up her jets and flared her wings, soaring up into the cloudy night. Tapping the sides of her goggles she searched for heat signatures, amazed at how many people were in the small city. Silently Aubrey did a perimeter of the city before moving in deeper, nothing caught her attention until she got to the middle of the city. A small gasp escaped Aubrey's lips as she blinked several times to make sure her goggles were correct.

"Bucky? There's a huge signature right in the middle, along with several hundred ones around it."

"That's not normal" his murmur bounced around her ear.

**_*New York*_**

Captain America tensed watching the new hero who was hovering in front of the glass, his face unreadable. Thor came forward, resting his hammer on a table, seeming confident in his actions. Turning he synthesized a blue suit and cape, coming to rest on the ground. The rest of the Avengers congregated from other rooms, unsure of this newcomer The new hero turned to Thor, murmuring quietly

"I'm sorry...that was….odd...Thank you." Though the hero had just been born his age and wisdom seemed endless yet youth to blossomed from him. The Avengers bickered among each other for several moments before the creation stepped forward

"You think I am a child of Ultron...I am not Ultron... I am not Jarvis...I am… I am"

"I looked inside your head and saw annihilation" Wanda Maximoff sneered.

"Well, look again."

"Whose side are you on" Captain America asked, his voice hard.

"I don't think it's that simple.-" The hero paused, contemplating his next words "-I am on the side of life, Ultron isn't. He will end it all.-"

"What's he waiting for?-" Stark cut him off and Vision looked straight at him.

"You"

"Sokovia-" Clint Barton cut in, both Pietro and Wanda Maximoff looking alarmed. "-he's got Nat there too"

Banner came forward, stepping close to Vision

"If we are wrong about you...If you are the monster Ultron intended for you to be-" he trailed off, leaving the threat hanging.

"I don't want to kill Ultron, he's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others….Maybe I am a monster.-" Vision inspected his hands "-but I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me..but we need to go" Vision turned and held out Thor's hammer as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The Avengers who had all tried to lift it just days before all blatantly stared at the hammer and then Vision. Thor took it from him, looking shocked, fiddling with the hammer he spoke, sounding like Vision had caught him off guard.

"Right"

What Vision had decided to keep to himself was that the Avengers would need to work together with two more people they weren't expecting.

**_*Sokovia just before dawn*_**

Both Bucky and Aubrey had stayed on the edges of the city, too cautious to go any deeper. Bucky was fiddling with his knives, throwing them at an old, dying tree. Aubrey had done several more circles of the city and was now standing several feet away, her wings resting comfortably behind her. Aubrey fiddled with her bow and arrow but froze when her hearing picked up the humming of a jet engine.

"Buck..-" she murmured, coming over to where he was pulling his knives out of the tree, noticeably straightening. "-That has to be them." Looking over to Bucky he nodded, his eyes following the jet.

"Remember what we talked about?" he questioned.

"Yeah...yeah...this is it...isn't it?" Aubrey deftly braided her hair back, fingers trembling with nervous energy. Pulling on her goggles she looked over to Bucky, he had just finished strapping on his knives and picked up his rifle.

"Life is the mission." his words echoed across the clearing as Aubrey repeated his words.

"Life is the mission." With that, they headed to the top of a building that Aubrey had chosen earlier. Aubrey positioned herself on the edge, perched like a bird, her goggles zoomed in on the people exiting the jet. Aubrey heard Bucky's intake of breath when Captain America exited. Someone with a blue shirt sped off and Aubrey's goggles picked up his face, scanning it.

"Pietro Maximoff, he was experimented on by Hydra, my goggles are pulling up all of his files,-" Aubrey whispered in German. They had agreed to speak in German so they wouldn't be overheard. "-his sister is here too, Wanda"

"Level?" Bucky grumbled from his spot on the other side of the roof, his voice gravelly on the commlink.

"It doesn't say, just that he developed super speed and his sister has some sort of manipulation power due to experimentation with some sort of stone... the rest of the files are corrupted. It says do not engage at the bottom though. Glad we're on their side" Aubrey finished, watching as the Avengers spread out. Both tensed at the sound of gunshots.

"He's warning people, telling them to get out of the city, fired shots into the air to get them moving..." Bucky's normally smooth German paused and Aubrey knew he was frowning.

"What?"

"The other Maximoff, she influencing the people, making them leave the city. There's some sort of red mist everywhere...We may need to move." Aubrey frowned as her mind vaguely remembered having something similar to that...

"I..used to do that...before" She whispered but decided to deal with it later. Aubrey watched the red mist and when she turned back to the group of Avengers both Thor and Banner where gone. Clint Barton, known as Hawkeye was scaling an abandoned building not too far from their own, seeming to be looking for a good spot to wait. Aubrey backed off the lip of the roof, knowing her gold, silver, and black feathers could attract unwanted eyes. Aubrey tapped the side of her goggles, turning the heat vision back on. Scanning the area she watched two signatures enter the heavily heated area and blend in with the rest. Buckys voice sounded in her ear and she turned the vision off.

"They are clearing the city, trying to get everyone out."

"Must be expecting something big...Is it time?"

"No, they are fine by themselves.-" Aubrey cut him off

"Ironman just took off, he's headed for the cathedral in the middle of the city….Right above where the huge signature was from. I'm going in closer"

"I'm coming too." Bucky jumped from one roof to another, careful to stay out of sight as the sun started to rise. Aubrey flew, staying in the cloud cover, they stopped at the edge of the buildings, before them was a large square with the cathedral in the middle. Ironman landed, his suit making a loud clang, echoing across the silent city. But a voice cut through it all, the voice sounded cold. Devoid of all emotion, making Aubrey wanting to hate it all the more.

"Come to confess your sins?" the voice questioned Ironman and his voice shot back immediately

"I don't know, how much time you got?"

"More than you" Ironman came into view as he backed up, Aubrey felt her eyes widen as she took in Ultron. He was twice the size as Ironman and glittered with a metal she knew all too well.

"He's made of vibranuim Bucky" Aubrey crouched down to get a better look and heard Buckys sigh.

"This is getting bleaker by the minute.-" He started to say something else but a ground-shaking noise started and Aubrey watched as the ground in the middle of the cathedral burst open, a metal contraption breaking out and attaching itself to the cement. Aubrey growled and her hand gripped her bow, notching an arrow. Her senses picking up something coming. Bucky's voice sounded in her ear

"Brie..there's robots coming out of the ground...everywhere." Sure enough, as Aubrey looked around she felt caught off guard. She had been expecting something but not hundreds upon thousands of blue-eyed rats. They looked like they had been scraped off of the scum of the earth.

"Not good." Aubrey pulled her bow up to her face and fired at the bots, taking one down. But for every one taken down ten more replaced it.

"Bet I can kill more than you" Bucky challenged, already starting to pick them off with his gun.

"You're on" Aubrey took several of her explosive arrows out of her quiver and rapidly fired. Robot parts scattered but Aubrey's attention was drawn to Wanda Maximoff, she was shielding herself and a crowd of peopl but the number of bots around her was quickly becoming numerous.

"I'm going to help" she growled, taking flight and swooping down to the ground. Aubrey landed behind the group of bots and started picking them off with her bow, flashing between visible and invisible, letting the light filter through her once again. In her peripheral vision, she saw Wanda look at her with curiosity but Wanda was shot with an energy gun and crumpled to the ground. Aubrey watched as the robots just kept coming. But because they were centered on the Avengers the robots didn't seem to notice Aubrey. She slipped back into the Eagle and became a well-oiled machine, taking out one after another of the rats. But Aubrey was taken out of her stupor by earthquakes and the sensation she only got when taking off into the air. Her commlink crackled and Bucky's voice sounded in her ear.

"Brie...you feel that right?" Aubrey frowned and flew up into the sky, her eyes widening and watching in horror as the city started to_ rise_ into the sky, dirt, and rocks crumbling back to the ground below.

"The city..it's rising-" Aubrey stammered "-the..the people..this is bad...so bad."

One voice rose above the screams of terrified civilians, a voice Aubrey wanted to throttle. It echoed across the city, out of every robots speaker

"Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise...only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Aubrey turned and saw a lone figure hovering in the sky.

"I've got eyes on Ultron" she murmured and Bucky's panicked voice answered immediately

"Aubrey don't you dare do what you're thinking. I swear I will fly up there myself and pluck you out of the sky. That isn't your fight."

"Too bad you hate flying" Aubrey sniped as she shot towards Ultron, she knew it wasn't the smartest idea but the choice had already been made. Her eyes narrowed and she caught him from behind. Aubrey's nails grew their full size and she raked the vibranuim talons down Ultrons back, which would have been enough to kill a human. The sound of screeching metal played in her ears. Ultron spun around and his eyes narrowed at Aubrey, his metal eyebrows hiked up on his head as he remarked

"Who is this? A new player in the game, the unexpected variable. Did Stark put you up to this? You are nothing but a teenager with a temper."

"Oh, I am much more than that.-" Aubrey growled, her wings flaring menacingly

"Really? Are you a bat?"

"I'm an Eagle, The Eagle" Aubrey grinned menacingly, flashing her sharpened canines before shuddering and turning invisible. Ultron's face stretched in surprise for several seconds before he composed himself.

"Ahh one of the Hydra rats. Hydra was a failed organization because it relied on people. Trying to make mankind better when they should have just eliminated them."

Aubrey had been circling Ultron and deftly chose several throwing stars from her pockets, throwing them as she flew past. Ultron winced as they hit their marks but covered it up with a chuckle

"Dear girl, do you expect those to hurt me? You should know, being a child of Hydra, that when I go down, many more shall replace me. Battle is no place for a child" Aubrey had paused, listening to his words, and somehow he had pinpointed her location. Ultron threw himself at Aubrey, trying to tear her wings. Her super-soldier senses got her out of the way just in time. Whirling around she launched herself at Ultron, the feathers on the edges of her wings razor sharp. She hooked her talons into his arms and raked her wings down the arm joints, trying to detach them. Ultron growled "Pesky Bird" and a robot flew up in front of Aubrey, firing an energy blaster at her. It knocked her back and Aubrey fell through the air, just barely getting her bearings before she would have hit the ground. She turned and prepared to fly back up but two hands grasped her shoulders. For a brief second, Aubrey thought that Bucky had found a way to fly and stop her but as she turned around she was met with yellow eyes and a new face. A red face that looked surprisingly human despite the glowing stone embedded in his forehead.

"You cannot kill Ultron, it is my destiny...It is what I was created for. Focus your efforts on the civilians. Protect them above all else-" Vision let go of Aubrey's shoulders and was about to fly off but paused and met her eyes "You made the right choice coming here." His words were earnest and Aubrey immediately decided she was alright with this newcomer. She nodded, slightly flabbergasted, and watched Vision fly off.

"Buck, where are you?" she was met with static and Bucky's voice

"That was the dumbest thing you have ever done, honestly Brie. I'm on the ground near the cathedral, I'm alright though, do what Vision said an-" Buckys words were cut off and Aubrey frowned

"Buck?"

"Steve is trying to save someone whose car is about to fall off the edge"

"I'm coming" Aubrey heard the panic in his voice and burst up into the air, locating the torn bridge. Her jets hummed as she pushed them as fast as possible. Aubrey watched in horror as the car tipped and fell with a woman and her baby still inside. Captain America had a pained look on his face as he realized there was nothing he could do. Aubrey shot down after the car, her arms stretched out as she raced to catch it. Her wings wrapped around her body and it enabled Aubrey to dive like a bullet. Her hands seized the back bumper and she gasped, not ready for the weight of it. Immediately Aubrey's wings flared and she started to pull the car back up to the island. Her arms cried out in pain but Aubrey knew she could do it. Hydra had had her lift more than this, she had been created for this. The woman inside was watching, her mouth open in a terrified scream. Her child had her arms around her mother's neck and was crying, silent tears running down the girl's cheeks. Seconds passed, followed by minutes and Aubrey craned her neck to see the bridge was just above her. Within several more minutes, she pulled the car back onto the bridge. Breathing heavily Aubrey pulled the door open and pulled the woman and child out.

"Are you alright?" she asked the woman, her voice raspy. The woman nodded weakly and croaked

"Thank you. Thank you."

Aubrey nodded and smiled, pointing to where the Avengers had been gathering people. The woman hurried off and Aubrey turned to find Captain America staring at her, battling emotions in his eyes. He opened his mouth several times, trying to find the right words but couldn't seem to find them. Aubrey stared at him for a moment before answering the question in his eyes with a nod. Captain America's eyes widened and he started to say something but Aubrey had shot off into the sky. Her goggles zeroed in on Bucky, she swooped and landed behind him, using her bow to take out bot after bot. The two worked in silence, taking comfort in the presence of each other, they were a machine. Like they had so many times on missions they read each other's body language, not having to communicate with words. Somehow they worked their way to the same clearing where Black Widow, Captain America, and Thor were fighting. People ran around in confusion, their panicked screams echoing across the buildings. Aubrey flew into the sky, skewering robots with her knives and jumping on them, her talons sinking deep. Fallen robots scattered on the ground below as Bucky worked beneath her, using the dead parts as both shields and weapons. Aubrey jumped from one robot to another in a deadly dance.

A large explosion sounded to Aubrey's left and she turned to see that Thor had blown several bots. Looking to see where Bucky was Aubrey spotted him, he had frozen. Across the clearing Captain America stood stock still, taking in Bucky's appearance. From behind Bucky, Aubrey saw a robot several feet behind him aim with its energy blaster. A feral noise ripped it's way out of Aubrey and she dived down behind Bucky, just as the robot fired his blaster. The ball of blue energy hit Aubrey's chest armor and she felt searing heat as the armor took the blast. The energy traveled up Aubrey's chest to her shoulders and neck. Leaving red-hot heat in its path. She heard someone scream..maybe it was her...All Aubrey could think about was the pain. The heat was so hot it left raw oozing blisters in its stead. Aubrey catapulted backward into Bucky, her wings flapped frantically as Aubrey stopped herself in mid-air. One thing keeping her mind from the pain "Get ahold of yourself. They need help. Ignore the pain". Aubrey's lungs screamed for air as she landed behind an overturned car. Her arms reached out, grabbing onto the car to catch herself. Aubrey winced as her chest armor retracted, her combat suit had warped from the heat and had several holes. Angry Blisters and burns covered most of Aubrey's torso. Growling she tapped her wing straps, the chest armor melting back on. A noise sounded behind her and Aubrey whirled around, notching an arrow, the act making everything scream in pain. Bucky stood there, his hands up. Immediately his eyes traced over her face, looking for wounds. Aubrey relaxed slightly, putting the arrow away. Cautiously Bucky ventured closer, worry sparking in his eyes when Aubrey winced.

"Brie...I..I'm sorry. I froze and….I don't know...Are you okay?"

She was tempted to lie and say everything was fine but her head shook and she murmured

"The blast was so close it heated up my chest armor...I..theres a lot of burns...it hurts...but I'm still here"

Bucky shook his head "You should go-"

"No. I'm staying. I'll be alright, just let everything settle for a moment" Aubrey took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. Bucky respected her decision and sighed.

"Alright...but stay close" Aubrey nodded and limped out from behind the car, letting her wings carry her into the air. Captain America must have broken out of his stupor and was talking on a commlink

"We're not clear! We are very not clear!" he punctuated the words by trapping a robot to a car with his shield and using his feet to push the shield deeper. Cutting the robot in half. They plunged back into battle, Aubrey grit her teeth at the pain but continued severing robot heads. In the middle of the island, she saw the cathedral lose several of its pillars. Ultron was throwing Thor around like a ragdoll. To Aubrey's left Captain America and Black Widow worked together to clear the sector. Within minutes they had defeated that wave of robots. Smoke from various fires and clouds had made it hard to see, Aubrey coughed and stumbled to the ground. She heard Black Widows voice and spied their outlines not too far from her. Their backs to her.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock-" But Captain America cut her off

"Not until everyone is safe."

Black Widow frowned "Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there."

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it" Cap looked at Black Widow, his voice hard.

"I didn't say we should leave-" she finished quietly. "-there are worse ways to go.." The clouds cleared as she spoke one more time "Where else can you get a view like this?"

But a new voice cut through the chaos. Aubrey heard it come from Widow's commlink.

"Glad you like the view Romanoff, it's about to get a whole lot better. Aubrey's ears rung with the sounds of a huge aircraft rising from the clouds. A gasp escaped her lips as she recognized it. One of the Insight helicarriers had survived? Bucky came up beside her, breathing heavily. His eyes widened at the sight of the helicarrier and he shook his head.

"They shouldn't have that...but I'm glad they do"

"I know" Aubrey whispered.

She watched as several smaller ships left the helicarrier and parked on the edge. Immediately people started flooding out of the surrounding buildings. Captain America must have heard something because he whirled around, his shield at the ready. But the sight of Aubrey and Bucky standing just feet behind made him pause. Black Widow must have sensed his distress because she too turned and frowned when she caught sight of the two.

Aubrey nodded to them, her voice cracking as she spoke

"Let's load 'em up-." She grinned and looked at Bucky "-I'm gonna leave you with this awkwardness. Have fun" With that Aubrey shot into the sky after the next wave of robots who intended to take the smaller ships out. Her talons grabbed onto one which she swung at several more. Twisting around made her torso scream with pain but Aubrey only growled quietly. Somewhere behind her she heard War Machines confused voice

"Tony..? Whose that?"

"I..uh don't know. Cap seemed pretty ruffled by her though so she's allowed to stay."

"Plus she's really killing those things" War Machine finished for Ironman

"Yeah..that too" Aubrey worked quickly and silently but stopped when she saw a robot smash through the glass of the helicarrier. Diving she flew into the room she saw one of the agents attempting to shoot it but the robot dodged. Aubrey flew forward and stabbed the robot with an arrow. Its eyes flickered before going dark. The agent stared at her, blinking hard. Behind her a man with an eyepatch nodded approvingly.

"Good to finally meet you Eagle, we look forward to working with you in the future"

Aubrey nodded, kind of confused but before she could ask any questions, she heard an explosion outside and shot out. War Machine approached her and asked, sounding nervous

"Fury told me to tell you to help me round up the rest of the citizens."

"Alright" Aubrey dove back to the island and started herding people with her wings, getting them to the carriers as quickly as possible. To her left War Machine was also herding people.

Somehow Bucky ended up beside her, they searched several of the closest buildings, ensuring there wasn't anyone else. Aubrey's heat vision cleared the rest. War Machine must have gotten more orders because he looked to Aubrey and Bucky.

"They need help at the cathedral, we have to keep those things off the reactor." the Soldiers nodded and picked their way through the rubble to the cathedral, finding all the Avengers furiously battling robots. Aubrey took to the air, using her bow to snipe the robots from above. Hawkeye was struggling with several at once and she sniped two from above. His eyes traced the arrows patch back up to her. Hawkeye tipped his head to her in thanks before continuing. Black Widow bounded up, asking Stark.

"What's the drill?"

He motioned to Ultron's core "this is the drill, if any of the bots touch this thing then it's game over." Within minutes the square was clear and Ultron flew closer as Thor taunted

"Is that the best you can do?!" Ultron grinned and motioned his hands. Hundreds more of the rats crawled across the city, coming from all directions. Aubrey's eyes widened as she thought "does it ever end?"

"You had to ask" Captain America sniped at Thor.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against All of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron's voice rang across the square, emotionless.

"Well, like the old man said...Together" Ironman said, unreadable emotion in his words.

The robots surged forward, climbing over anything in their way. The battle became thick and Aubrey lost count of how many she skewered with her various weapons. Eventually, she and Bucky started to work side by side, the robots no match for them. In her peripheral vision, Aubrey saw Vision, Thor, and Ironman using their energy beams on Ultron. He fell backward, getting up to a crouch. His outer metal melted away but the three stopped their beams as Ultron seemed to be dying.

"You know..with the benefit of hindsight.-" but he couldn't finish because Hulk charged up and punched Ultron across the sky. The remainder of the robots started to flee into the sky.

"We can't let them get away." Bucky's voice sounded in her ear

"I'm going" Aubrey's jets hummed as she flew after them, spearing the robots with her talons. An explosion to her right caught Aubrey off guard and she tensed, only to find Vision beside her. Aubrey held back a laugh as she heard War Machines confused voice

"Ok...what?"

They exploded the last of the stragglers and Vision flew off to where Ultron had flown. Coming back to land Aubrey found herself face to face with Captain America. She heaved a breath, her hand going to her side and tenderly touching one of the blisters.

"You need to get him and get off the island."

Aubrey grinned "He mentioned your 'mom' voice but I never realized how good it actually was." Before Cap could answer Aubrey had jetted up above the buildings before swooping for Bucky. Aubrey hovered as he attached the bungee to his combat suit and then took to the sky, the extra weight pulled at her stomach and Aubrey winced. Flying them both to the edge of the helicarrier she landed, trying not to stumble. Aubrey realized that adrenaline had been keeping most of the pain away, as she calmed her head felt light and she puffed a breath out of her lips.

"I don't know where is safe. Until the island is back on the ground we should stay here." Aubrey said, trying to keep the note of pain from her voice as she stood behind Bucky. He heard it though and turned, a concerned look on his face.

"You need medical attention."

"No. I'll be alright. It will be healed by next week.

"Don't be stubborn."

"I can and I will. I'm serious Bucky, I'll take care of it at a safe-house..We shouldn't stay here long. He's gonna want to see you."

"I don't like this" Bucky growled, but he stopped when he saw the island plummeting back towards the ground. It slowed and Aubrey watched as Thor and Ironman slowed the descent, the island hit the ground with a loud "thud", the earth quaked and Aubrey sighed in relief.

"We did it"

"Yes we did" Bucky echoed, disbelief in his voice.

**_*Captain America*_**

Cap went up to where Vision had said The Eagle had landed with Bucky, if she was as injured as he had said then they should still be here. Disappointment swelled in Cap's chest as he found the deck empty. They were gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N* **

**Guest review: Thank you so much! Going a year without garlic bread is a serious thing and especially for these guys?! It was my hope that people could kind of understand bits and pieces of the German, I'm learning it for my foreign language so it was a way to put it to use. Once again Thank you for your fabulous review! ****I love hearing what you guys have to say!**

**Enjoy!**

Aubrey growled under her breath as she and Bucky landed at a safe-house on the edge of Greece. The sun beat down on their backs and the heat made Aubrey want to writhe in pain. Bucky caught her arm before she could stumble and waited until she had her bearings before letting go.

"You should have gotten medical help at the helicarrier" he grunted.

"I'll be fine" Aubrey hissed, her wings retracting, leaving her in her combat suit. Bucky picked the lock, the house was white and boxy on the outside. It was small, with an open concept and one bedroom. Aubrey went into the bedroom to change, backpack in hand. Her hands undid the zipper that went down the side and Aubrey started to peel off the suit. The top half stuck to her skin and she winced as she tore it away. After the suit was off she put on black leggings and a loose tank top, Aubrey found her way to the bathroom and took in her appearance, grimacing at the sight of red angry flesh that traveled from her shoulders to just above the base of her neck, dried blood crusting it. Her chest and stomach were also hot and angry, her wounds and blisters crying out in protest at every movement. Aubrey's hands went up to her hair and she unbraided it, combing it with her fingers. Aubrey's eyes had bags under them and she rubbed them tiredly before going back out into the main room. Bucky had a first aid kit spread out on the kitchen table. His eyes traced over her wounds and he winced.

"That's not good."

"No it's not" she responded as she eased down onto one of the chairs, picking up one of the ointment tubes and examining it. The tube said it was for small to moderate burns but she was desperate. Tenderly, Aubrey squeezed some of the stinky ointment out and started to spread it on her shoulders. Because the wounds were so severe it didn't do much. The ointment only left cold tingles but she was grateful for the small amount of relief.

"I did a quick perimeter, the house has security cameras though so we should be good. If your okay with me leaving I'm going to go get some food and supplies." Bucky's eyes had worry in them as he held Aubrey's gaze.

"I'll be fine...Seriously" Aubrey plodded over to the freezer and she opened the icebox, grabbing a handful of ice and wrapping it in a cloth. She watered the cloth down and started pressing the D.I.Y Icepack on the worst of the burns. Her skin sizzled and Aubrey could have sworn that steam was coming off of her. Bucky collected up his weapons and left swiftly, the door clicking shut behind him. A small sigh of relief escaped Aubrey's lips as melted ice dribbled down her shoulder. Unfortunately for her, any pain killers wouldn't do much. An idea popped in Aubrey's head and she eased from the chair down onto the freezing tile. Leaning against the wall Aubrey mulled over everything that had just happened. She felt emotionally and physically drained from the fight. Her eyes wandered over to all the windows in the room, her mind going through all the various exit strategies. Of course, if worse came to worse she could just put a hole in the wall...the house was kinda dark anyway. Aubrey grinned, the thought distracting her from the pain. But as she chuckled under her breath, it became a hiss of pain. At least they were still alive. Aubrey leaned her head back against the wall and her eyes fluttered closed, the exhaustion taking over.

_"Adler!-" a harsh voice snapped at her. The Eagle looked up from her spot on the steel floor, her hand's stilling as she put down the feather she was reattaching. She clicked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance."- Was tust du?" [What are you doing?] the man interrogated her._

_The Eagle's answer flew out of her mouth immediately, her syllables barely intelligible._

_"Ich repariere meine Flügel" [Mending my wings]_

_"Lass es jemand andres tun" [Let someone else do it]. The man tried to scoop her wings up but The Eagle hissed angrily. Her arms shot out, talons hooking onto what the man had taken. The Eagle knew deep down that these wings were all she had. There was no way she was going to let anyone touch them. She wanted more than anything to say something to the man but her programming wouldn't let her. The Eagle's mind cracked and she opened her mouth yet nothing came out. She worked her jaw and slowly words came out in English._

_"Th….those…...a...are…...m..mine" The man growled at her words and took the rest of The Eagles wings_

_"Nichts gehört dir, du gehörst uns." [Nothing is yours, you are ours] he hissed at her before straightening up and taking a step back. The Eagle rose to her feet and took a menacing step forward._

_"Mine" she hissed, trying to grab the wings back. The man's eyes widened as he realized The Eagle was disobeying._

_"Adler!-" he snapped "-Spitze-" The Eagle straightened, she knew these words. They had been pounded into her mind. "-51, Adler, Blauer-" She hissed, her head starting to throb. Inhumane noises came out of The Eagle's mouth as she tried to resist the programming. "-Hummel, Auto, Leben., Angst…-" [Top, 51, eagle, blue sky, car, life, fear]. "Adler?"_

_It was done. Any sign of rebellion had been put out with those words. The Eagle's voice went back to normal, devoid of emotion. "Bereit zu entsprechen" [Ready to comply]_

_"Komm mit mir" [come with me] The man led The Eagle down a hallway to a cold room, a chair sat in front of her. The Eagle had no memories of this chair, only extreme pain echoed in her mind. She knew she had been here before but had no recollection of when she had been there. The man pointed to the chair and Eagle complied, easing down into it._

_"Bleibe" [Stay] he commanded, disappearing out the door. The click of a lock was heard and the Eagle's eyes stayed trained on the doorknob. Her mind focused on the command and nothing else. She stayed like that for hours, her back straight, talons gleaming in the bright lighting. Left alone in the chair with her echoing pain of it. Eventually, the door opened again, the same man came back with several other people in white coats. They frowned at something the man was saying but The Eagle was waiting for her next command. One of the scientists came over and crouched in front of Eagle, an unreadable emotion in his eyes._

_"What did they do to you" he murmured. The Eagle's mind took this as a command but she had no answer, instead, she repeated "Bereit zu entsprechen" [Ready to comply] the man shook his head, sighing sadly. He lowered his voice so only Eagle could hear._

_"I have children, they forced me to work here. One of my girls turned twenty last week and...I can't imagine losing her.-" the man looked like he wanted to say more but he straightened when his name was said, fear sparking in his eyes. He murmured something to the rest of the men and they nodded. The men dispersed throughout the room. One came forward and pushed Eagle back in the chair, shoving a bit into her mouth. Cold metal plates came down on her head. The Eagle felt chilled to the bone as she felt the machine turn on, it's hum deep, rumbling her bones. The crackle of electricity was heard and Eagle cried out in pain, her vision dimmed. She heard the bit crack and splinter in her mouth. It was cold...so cold_

Aubrey's eyes shot open yet didn't see, all she felt was the coldness of the chair...she was in the chair. A strangled scream ripped its way out of her mouth. "No...nonono" she whispered, looking around to see the familiar steel room. She started to feel pressure on her shoulders and cried out in pain. Blazing heat traveled up and down her torso. Aubrey blinked hard, feeling wet tears on her face and took in a shuddering breath, her surroundings becoming fuzzy and unrecognizable. A figure was crouched in front of her and Aubrey scrambled to her feet, spooked. The figure backed up, his hands in the air. He was speaking but Aubrey couldn't understand him. Her jaw chattered and she hissed, hands reaching for knives that weren't there. Aubrey's vision darkened and her ears popped. When her vision finally cleared she realized she was in a house….safe. Heaving a breath Aubrey looked around, scanning her surroundings, her mind still coming back to reality. The figure from before was standing several feet away, his face had turned sheet-white and a disturbed look was pasted on it.

His voice was low as he spoke "You're here, back.."

Aubrey shuddered and shook her head, backing up and bumping into the couch. She let herself fall back onto it. Only then did she realize how violently she was trembling. Aubrey's head fell into her hands and she felt her face crumple.

**Bucky's P.O.V**

He had come back from the store to see an exhausted-looking Aubrey sitting on the floor, her head leaned back on the wall. Yet she looked far from peaceful. Several moments after he had returned he noticed that her mouth was moving and her eyes rolling beneath the lids. Whispered speech started but it was garbled, immediately he knew something was wrong. Bucky crouched in front of Aubrey and gently shook her shoulders, wincing at the sight of her blisters. Aubrey didn't move but when he shook her again she cried out in pain. Bucky scrambled back a few steps and watched as Aubrey started blinking hard, tears leaking out the sides of her bloodshot eyes. She seemed to see Bucky yet not see him all at once. She shot to her feet and Bucky backed up, putting his hands in the air to show he wasn't armed. He studied her, noting her eyes were cloudy and her face taut.

"Your name is Aubrey, you are here in Greece-" he felt his face drain of color as Aubrey cut him off, hissing menacingly. Her hands went for knives but found none. He watched as her eyes seemed to darken, even more, staying that way for several minutes before lightening up. Bucky watched as she looked around in anguish, slowly coming back to reality. She was trembling violently and Bucky's whispered words echoed through the room.

"You're here...back". But she shook her head and backed up, bumping into the couch and after a moment's hesitation, falling onto it. Now she was quietly sobbing into her hands, curled up on the edge of the couch. Bucky went to the kitchen and finished taking supplies out of the plastic bags before going back to the main area, unsure what to do with himself. Just as Bucky was about to go do another perimeter he heard a whisper.

"It was so cold….I'm so cold."

He turned and came back to the living room, sitting on the floor several feet from the couch.

"What was cold?" he questioned quietly. Her next words turned Bucky's blood to ice.

"The chair"

"What did you remember Brie…?

She coughed for a moment, getting her breath before finally looking up. Aubrey's face was wet and her hair hung limply, her eyes seemed to be flashing with all she remembered. She pulled her knees up to her chest before speaking, hugging them tightly. "I guess I was harder to control then I thought. Several times now I've remembered times where the programming failed...or I broke through. I had been fixing my wings and a technician..or a handler came in and told me to let someone else do it. He took them-" her voice hardened "-and I told him no...in English. He said the words-" Aubrey paused, taking in a shuddering breath before continuing "-he commanded me to sit in the chair...I did...he left me there for hours before returning with technicians. One of them leaned close and said he had a daughter…. But...a couple of minutes later they wiped me….that was when the...memory stopped. It was so painful...I remember snapping the bit with the force from my jaw."

Bucky gulped, remembering all the times he had been forced into the chair, a bit shoved into his mouth.

" 'm sorry-" he didn't know what else to say except "- are you okay?"

Aubrey shrugged "depends on your definition of okay.-" she paused, contemplating something "-I am kinda hungry though." a tentative smile raised the sides of her mouth but it disappeared moments later.

"I'll go cook something" Bucky rose and disappeared to the kitchen, leaving Aubrey to her thoughts.

**Aubrey P.O.V**

Aubrey leaned her head on the couch arm-rest and sighed, too exhausted emotionally and physically to do anything. Her mind was whirling but she did her best to ignore everything flying through her head. Everything ached and burned. Every couple of minutes she would hear a bang from the kitchen, either from a pot or something falling on the floor. She tried to close her eyes but each time the darkness closed in and memories would flash. So she settled for staring at a chip in the baby-blue paint on the wall. Half an hour passed before Bucky came out of the kitchen, two plates in hand. He set them down and took one of the spots at the five-person rectangle table. Aubrey walked over, seeming dead on her feet before taking the spot opposite of Bucky. A plate of pre-cooked lasagna and mushy broccoli sat before her. Despite her lack of appetite, Aubrey's stomach growled hungrily at the smell wafting up. Bucky had already started eating and Aubrey picked at her food with a fork. The house was silent until he spoke several minutes into the meal, she could see memories shining in his eyes.

"Steve's mom made the best lasagna...but she always overcooked spaghetti 'n meatballs. Steve used to ask her how she could get lasagna right and spaghetti so wrong when they were both so similar-."

Aubrey just nodded, chewing her food slowly.

"-It was like eating mashed potatoes with tomato sauce and chewy hamburger."

A smile ghosted Aubrey's lips as she thought about that and her teeth clicked together while Bucky chuckled to himself.

"Steve tried to replicate the lasagna once. It was a couple of days before the Howling Commandos went out on another mission.-" Bucky paused, a faraway look in his eyes. "-We didn't have much but we used what we had. He...uh must have forgotten to cook the noodles first so...It was very crunchy."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow at that and snorted under her breath, even she knew that you had to cook the noodles first. She raised her eyes and looked at Bucky, finding that he was looking at her with anticipation.

"Really?' her voice was scratchy and cracked.

Bucky nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, the guys got a kick out of it…..well... And a crunch"

"I bet-" Aubrey snickered, taking a bite of the lasagna, trying to imagine what it would be like with crunchy noodles.

"Yeah…-" Bucky trailed off, finishing off his plate and getting up for more. Aubrey heard his voice from the kitchen "- you woulda liked em… been remembering a lot about 'em lately."

"Good or Bad?" Aubrey asked, her curiosity piqued.

Bucky came back with the whole pan of lasagna and set it on the table, taking a heaping helping for himself. He looked at her plate "Want more?"

Aubrey looked down and realized she had eaten everything on her plate. She shook her head but as Bucky started to talk, Aubrey started to whittle little bites of lasagna out of the pan.

"Just after Steve broke the Commandos an' me outta one of the Red Skull facilities. We were at the base bar and Agent Carter came up, thought she was talking to me but she was talking to Steve! It was like I was invisible! Before I was deployed it was the other way around. Granted, Steve was also a _lot_ smaller..but still..it was very disappointing" he gave her a good-natured grin as he took his fork and did what she was doing to the lasagna.

His story had taken Aubrey's mind off of everything that had happened earlier and her mood had improved.

"You…? Ignored! Nooo,-" Aubrey teased, shifting in her seat so her torso didn't burn as much.

Bucky chuckled as he chewed on some broccoli "oh man before Steve got buffed up, it was like I had to be his personal guard."

"Why? Surely he didn't pick fights all the time" Aubrey eased to her feet, picking up the now-empty lasagna pan and their plates before heading to the sink.

"Oh he did...all the time-" Bucky stood and put the remains of the Broccoli in a plastic bag before coming over to the sink where Aubrey was rinsing the dishes. "-lemme do those. Your wounds look like they hurt."

Aubrey didn't even fight as she moved aside and eased onto the chilly floor, to her spot from earlier.

"So he fought because..?"

"He wanted to do what was right. But that got him beat up in almost every alleyway in Brooklyn."

"Wow… it's good he got the serum then because otherwise-"

Bucky cut her off "-he would have been chopped liver"

Aubrey snickered "yeah-" they lapsed into silence and Aubrey leaned her head back against the wall, her eyes tracing the indents in the ceiling, a question bouncing around her mind.

"Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like without Hydra?" the question was quiet and popped out of Aubrey's mouth faster then she would have liked. Bucky paused, his hands stilling on the dish he was drying. He was quiet as he thought about it for several minutes. Eventually, he finished drying the dish and started on the next one, Aubrey waited patiently for his answer.

"Well-" he started "-it depends...There were two ways it could go...well probably more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"The first way would have been me not even enrolling in the army. Steve would have probably found a way to go either way though.-"

Aubrey cut him off "-What would it had been like if you had come back after the war was over."

"I'm..not sure...Probably would have stayed in the army actually. Steve would have been in the ice... Everyone thought he was dead. I would have too. Maybe would have settled down somewhere...I don't know...It's hard to think about it any other way.-" he paused and looked at Aubrey "-what about you?"

Aubrey's eyes traced the furniture in the room as she answered "Well… I would have finished college, gotten a job. Probably would have settled down with someone...Live life to it's fullest...I guess. Sounds kinda boring though"

"So you pref-" Bucky started but Aubrey's eyes widened in horror at the thought.

"No. I meant that I like traveling and seeing new places, living on the edge. I wish I could do it in a safer environment but I think it's better than living a life of fear. Like I would have if Hydra had decided to leave me alone."

Bucky nodded in understanding and finished cleaning the pan the lasagna had been in. Drying it, he put it on the dish rack and left the kitchen, picking up his backpack and plopping on the couch. Aubrey stayed where she was. Eventually, she dozed off and vaguely heard Bucky get up to do perimeter. She slept until a noise woke her in the middle of the night. Immediately she was on her feet, wincing at the sudden movement. Aubrey scanned the room, looking for a weapon she could grab. In minutes Bucky was in the house, watching Aubrey with a calm face.

"I tripped on something outside, everything's fine."

Nodding sleepily, Aubrey grabbed for her Glock and winced as her skin stretched.

She spoke around a yawn "I..can take watch now" but when she looked at Bucky he was shaking his head.

"No, your wound is a weakness right now"

"I'm fine-" Aubrey huffed but Bucky raised his eyebrows at her when she winced. "-Okay..maybe I'm not fine...are you sure?"

He nodded and disappeared out the door again. Aubrey went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed, her body sighing in relief. She fell asleep quickly and slept until the sun shown through the windows. She woke and eased to her feet, groaning as her torso screamed in protest. Her skin felt like it had shrink-wrapped over-night. Her steps were silent as she lumbered out of the bedroom and into the main room. Spying a coffee pot on the counter, Aubrey got to work and had freshly brewed coffee wafting through the room in minutes. She took a large mug out of the cabinet and poured a heaping helping. The door clicked and Bucky trod in, looking tired. He nodded to Aubrey, grunting "I need a nap" before disappearing into the bedroom, the door clicking behind him. Aubrey wet a rag and washed the dried pus from her wounds, putting on a fresh layer of ointment. She spied her bag by the kitchen table and opened it, digging for nothing in particular. Aubrey frowned when she found a small white device with earbuds attached to it. A sticky note was stuck on the front. Quietly she read it.

_Thought you would like this, it's your iPod. Has all of your favorite songs from Before. Stay safe, Love you._

_-Mom_

Aubrey tapped the device's small screen and it blinked on. Opening the list of songs she felt her eyebrows hike up on her head. _One-hundred songs?!_. Instead of searching through them all, Aubrey clicked the word shuffle and put the earbuds in. Listening quietly as the song came on. She fell back onto the couch and listened to the lyrics, humming along quietly.

The day passed quickly and Bucky emerged from the bedroom around dinner time. Aubrey had been thinking about everything that had happened yesterday and she wondered what the Avengers thought of them. She looked at Bucky from her spot at the couch and took one of the earbuds out, speaking quickly so Bucky couldn't interrupt her.

"I can fly tomorrow and we can go" but as soon as she started talking Bucky frowned and shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Brie you could barely stand yesterday and you complained this morning that you felt like your skin was shrink-wrapped."

"But we heal faster..so I'll be fine" Aubrey half-heartedly grinned.

"Not that fast still looks painful" Bucky raised his eyebrows as he waited to see her response. Aubrey puffed a breath out of her lips and sighed dejectedly

"It is-" she finally relented. "- But I really want to go back to Nebraska"

"And we will, by the end of the week you should be okay enough to fly."

"Fine" Aubrey stood and grabbed her bow, going to the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Doing perimeter. I'm going to explode if I sit for one more minute." Aubrey mumbled. But she regretted it immediately as the fading sunlight set her blisters on fire. She couldn't prove Bucky right though so Aubrey grit her teeth and got the perimeter done as fast as possible. She came back to a smug-looking Bucky

"Sun doesn't feel too good does it?"

Aubrey came over to where he was cooking macaroni and punched his metal arm. It clanged and Bucky snickered as Aubrey inspected her now aching fist.

"Whatever-" She fished her blue journal out of her backpack and wrote what she had remembered earlier. The Soldiers ate a quiet dinner of very overcooked macaroni and left-over broccoli from the night before. Aubrey went to bed soon after and the week passed much too slowly for Aubrey's liking. By Friday her wounds had faded to nothing but lots of freckles. They dotted her shoulders and torso. Aubrey thought it was quite becoming.

"Time to goo!" Aubrey sing songed. Bucky had already packed the backpacks and was waiting by the door.

"I hate flying" he mumbled under his breath as they got suited up and took to the skies.

**Avengers Facility in New York**

Captain America growled, in frustration. It had been a week since he had seen Bucky and he still hadn't been able to track him down. A noise made him turn and he found Tony leaning against the doorway, a smug look on his face.

"Cap" Tony nodded, coming into the room. His eyes shot to the various holograms that Captain America had up and he grinned. "-Hasn't even been a week yet and you're already analyzing the footage from Ultron."

"Well, if the Eagle is as wounded as Vision said then I figured they would be in the area until she healed..but-"

Tony cut him off "-But you realized that two of the most dangerous assassins in the world were good at hiding? Congratulations! But Cap…-" Tony meandered over to Cap and called out to F.R.I.D.A.Y

"Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y, pull up that thing I had you save"

"Yes, Boss" the A.I responded. Captain America marveled at how she could sound so human. But he was pulled out of his thoughts by a vaguely familiar face that appeared on one of the holograms.

"Tony? Who is this?" A light blond, green-eyed girl stared back at him, a large smile on her face. Tony pointed to her

"Look a little closer Cap. You've met her before. See this is what you've been missing, you have been so focused on your friend that you didn't do much of a background on her...and let me tell you, she is much more interesting."

Cap took a few steps back, sensing that Tony had more to say...and of course, he did.

"So because I've gotten tired of watching you and Sam fail so miserably I've decided to help. The Eagle, before Hydra was known as Aubrey Cristo, lived in Omaha, Nebraska. She was twenty one when Hydra got ahold of her. Now Cap, here's the million-dollar question. If you had been torn away from your family for five years. Come back to reality and remember them, what is the first thing you would want to do?"

"Visit em" Cap finished, realizing how stupid he had been.

"Ding ding ding! And guess where our favorite pair of assassins has been in the last month?"

"Really?" Cap breathed

"Yep and I can only assume that they will be back eventually."

"Tony...I...thank you" Even if he acted arrogantly most the time Cap knew that deep down he did care.

"No problemo Cap, I only ask that when you get ahold of them that I get to talk to Eagle."

"I'll see what I can do" Cap grinned, excitement welling up in his chest. Tony nodded at Cap before striding out of the room. Pulling out his flip phone he dialed Sams number and started talking the minute Sam picked up.

**Somewhere on the North Carolina coast**

Aubrey landed behind an abandoned building, rubbing her side. Bucky watched at her with a concerned look and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm fine, the new skin is just kind raw...But maybe we should stop for the night"

Bucky snickered "She does have common sense!"

"Be quiet" Aubrey growled, her suit retracting. Quietly they talked about getting a hotel room but Aubrey thought it was too soon to show their faces in public. Bucky quickly agreed and they broke their way into the abandoned building. Inside they found old furniture and dusty floors. Sunlight streamed in from in between the wooden boards that covered the windows. Dust poofed into the air when Aubrey plopped onto one of the couches, she sneezed and found Bucky doing the same. She pulled several granola bars out of her bag and they each had four before doing a round of the building. Neither slept that night, both deciding to rest on the couches but keep watch at the same time. By dawn, they were gone, back in the skies and headed towards Nebraska. Aubrey sighed, relishing the feeling of her wings beating, feeling the power in their feather-tips. Bucky, on the other hand, was groaning in protest at every movement.

"Planes...I can do...Helicopters I can fly with my eyes closed…..This...I cannot-" he whimpered. "-how much longer Brie."

Aubrey chuckled darkly "ohh couple more hours."

Bucky moaned in despair and told Aubrey it wasn't funny.

An hour later they had to stop because Bucky said he was five seconds away from heaving. Aubrey landed smoothly in a grassy field, beanstalks swished around them. Bucky, on the other hand, stumbled to the ground and sat in the dirt. Aubrey laugh-coughed behind her hand at how pathetic he was acting.

"Awww, big bad soldier can't handle a little fresh air?"

"You are the worst" Bucky growled, mock trying to trip Aubrey as she paced back and forth.

"Why thank you-" she purred as she looked at their surroundings. Beanfields surrounded them on all sides except for a homestead on the horizon. "-We are on the edge of Iowa and Nebraska. Probably another hour fly-" Bucky cut her off when she mentioned more flight.

"We are stopping for the night" Aubrey nodded and motioned towards the house just north of their location. The two silently headed in the general direction, careful to keep in the shadows cast by the fading light. The homestead had a small little house and a large red barn with a pen that had cows in it. Aubrey and Bucky slipped into the barn and climbed up into the hayloft, splitting the last of their granola bars between themselves. Both got 4 and a half. The sun had slipped away and the moon had replaced it. Shimmery iridescent light bathed everything and shown through the slats of wood that made up the barn. Aubrey nestled into the hay and Bucky sat on the edge of the loft, watching for intruders. Sometime in the night, they switched, and as the sun started to rise Aubrey heard noises outside. She retreated back into the shadows, making sure that Bucky was hidden. Minutes later the barn doors opened and a man came in. He went over to one of the rooms and heaved a pack of grain over his shoulder. He left and Aubrey heard a commotion outside, a dog started to bark and the cows mooed. Aubrey crept over to Bucky and shook him awake, praying that he would wake quietly. His eyes flickered open just in time to see a Border Collie trot into the barn, sniffing the air. The dog made a round of the barn before stopping at the ladder for they hayloft. It growled and started to bark.

Aubrey looked at Bucky, her eyes widening, she mouthed _"We need to go"_. Bucky nodded as she brought out her wings and prepared to jump to the ground. The dog had stopped barking and was glaring at them, a growl ripping it's way out of it's mouth. Aubrey bared her sharpened fangs and hissed. The dog looked confused for a moment before snapping at the air. The soldiers jumped off at once and Aubrey had taken off before the dog had a chance to react. Once in the air they both let out a breath of relief. Aubrey flew far and fast. In no time they were in Omaha, but she didn't head towards her parents house. Instead she landed in a quiet park. Bucky's face was white and he visibly relaxed once on the ground again.

"I don't know of any safehouses in the area" Bucky mumbled as Aubrey's wings retracted.

"I might…" she started, an idea forming in her mind.

"Uh oh...you're thinkin again" he chuckled and Aubrey frowned at him.

"Well… I want to walk by my house and see if it's empty. If so then we can stay there"

"And if not?"

"We figure something out"


	17. Chapter 16 & a half

**A/N* Hey guys, this chapter is just a flashback and it is kind of short but I'm going through some family stuff right now that's leaving me emotionally drained and really just not in the mood to write. I'm going to try to get a chapter out in the next week or two but I apologize if its the week after. (But I'll try to make it extra long!)**

**Happy Reading!**

-South Dakota-

Aubrey held in a chuckle as she watched a cat play the piano. She had been flicking from video to video all evening. Another kitten jumped up and started meowing along.

"Bucky! You gotta come see this!" Aubrey called to him. He was in the loft reading another self-help book.

"Not again Brie. I swear it's like every five minutes you switch to a new video!" She heard him groan and make his way down the stairs. Aubrey rewound the video and snickered as Bucky came behind her at her spot at the kitchen table. He watched for a few moments before saying.

"You know this is like the tenth cat playing piano video you've shown me. The first five were cool but now…-" he cringed at the face Aubrey shot him. "-Sorry Brie"

"It's alright" she sighed as Bucky made his way back upstairs. She flicked through more videos before finding a singing dog. Now, this she had to show him.

"Buck!" She was cut off

"Brie I am reading a good book and do not want to get up again."

"But Bucky" she whined but got no response, planning not to stop until he came down. "Buuckkkyyyyyy"

His next words brought Aubrey to her feet "Who the heck is Bucky"

She sucked in a breath and cautiously made her way up the stairs, dog video forgotten, panic rising up. Bucky was sitting rigidly and his eyes seemed far away. Aubrey growled, they had been doing so good today. But as she ventured closer she realized that Bucky's face was turning red and several moments later he burst out laughing. Aubrey's eyes widened at the thought it had been a joke.

"Okay..seriously..not funny-" even though a quiet chuckle was making its way out of her mouth. "-I can't believe you did that!"

"I just want to read my book" now it was his turn to whine pitifully.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N* Hi :) Most of this chapter I've had written for a week or two but I hadn't gotten around to finishing it yet. I'm very excited about what's happening next chapter, many of you may or may not see it coming, it's not Thanos though...yet ;) *laughs evilly*. **

**McDuff Izzy: Thank you!**

**Garlic bread person: Your newest review hasn't popped up on the Eagle page yet but I see it! Thank you for your support. I'm also with Bucky, honestly, you have to tune people out if you wanna read uninterrupted. As for the family stuff, it will hopefully work itself out eventually, just a waiting game now. **

**Thank you to everyone who has been reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! Y'all are the best **

They walked down the street, backpacks in hand, and before long they had left the inner city and were on the edge of town.

"Not too far now" Aubrey murmured and several minutes later a cottage appeared on the horizon. Aubrey stiffened as she remembered the night that she had been taken.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bucky asked her.

"Mhmm" was her answer as they skirted around the fencing that surrounded the whole property. They easily climbed over the tall chain-link fence and Aubrey remembered that it used to be electric fencing. Instead of going through the front door, they came through the basement one, in case there were cameras or operatives in the building. Aubrey ran her hand along the leather couches as they came to the stairs. Bow in hand, they crept up the stairs and Aubrey puffed a breath out of her lips at the sight. Her mind played various memories from before. Of friends having sleepovers, her family visiting, and of her kidnapping.

"It happened here...didn't it" Buckys quiet voice echoed through the room as they clocked it for cameras and listening devices. Aubrey gulped and came forward to where they had surrounded her all that time ago. She crouched and her fingers skirted the light-colored wood before standing and looking at the rest of the room. The dining table was to her left, the kitchen behind her, and the living room to her right, along with her bedroom and the spares. The front door was directly in front of her. Everything was neat and tidy.

"My parents must have had it cleaned and just left it. 'might still be in their names" she wandered around the room, noting the jackets that hung on the coat stand and the shoes piled neatly on the floor, all her size and vaguely familiar. Her mind flashed as she remembered the men coming into her house, the gunfire and smoke. Aubrey's teeth chattered as she turned to look at Bucky, his face had paled and he was staring off into space. Aubrey frowned and came closer, her combat boots clicking on the wood flooring.

"Buck?"

He shook his head and looked at her. "I was here that night...outside..in case you ran. But you never got the chance."

Aubrey puffed a breath out of her lips again and shook her head sadly. "You didn't know"

"I should have" he snapped, taking Aubrey back.

"Everything alright?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead " 'm sorry..I'm..okay for now...just a headache."

"Alright," she said quietly as she headed for her bedroom door. The doorknob squeaked as the door creaked open and Aubrey's eyes took in the room. Her bed was rumpled slightly as if someone had flopped onto it. A desk sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows to her left and various furniture pieces dotted the room. She'd only been living here for two years before Hydra had taken her. Yet signs of her presence were strongest in her room. Aubrey wandered over to the walk-in closet and went in, turning around to admire what she had painted on the inside of the door. Swirling colors covered it, they danced and twirled before forming into a mountain scene. The scene seemed to drip onto the rest of the closet and Aubrey caught glimpses of other paintings as she shuffled around the dusty clothing. Bucky had stayed in the main room and she was thankful for that. Quietly Aubrey took a moment to close her eyes and breath in the familiar scent of her room...her house...and the remnants of her past life. Yet somehow….she found herself saying that she wouldn't change anything that had happened..not even for the chance of a normal life. Without Hydra then she and Bucky would never have met...instead he would be shouldering the guilt of Hydra alone. Aubrey was jolted from her thoughts by her phone buzzing in her back pocket, fishing it out she recognized the caller I.D and answered it.

"Hello?" her voice sounded tired yet strong.

"Aubrey? I've been wanting to call you but I didn't know if it was safe...and..and I was so worried. And-"

Aubrey felt a smile ghost her lips at the thought of someone worrying about her. "Mom, I'm alright. Buck and I are far from Sokovia"

"Are you hurt?"

"I was, but I'm fine now. I heal really fast."

The tension in her mother's voice had eased but not completely. "When are you coming home?"

Aubrey ran a hand down her face and in that moment she felt as old as the stars themselves. "Mom...Because we were in contact with the Avengers and were on international television...Buck and I need to go into hiding for a few weeks."

"Oh-" the sound of her mother's disappointment broke Aubrey's heart.

"But there is something you can help me with. I need the names and numbers of all of my friends from before."

"Can I text them to you?"

"Yes, do you need me to come get Glacier?"

"No….I will get the names for you-" her mother was silent for a moment "-and Aubrey?"

"Hmm?"

"Be careful, we all love you too much to be able to bear losing you again."

"I will love you too mom" The call clicked off and Aubrey fiddled with her phone for a moment before making her way back to the main room. Bucky was standing rigidly on alert for any sign of danger. Aubrey put her phone on the kitchen island before heaving her backpack on.

"'M thinking about running by my parents to get the remainder of our gear" she murmured.

"When?"

" 'don't know..maybe sometime tomorrow"

Bucky shrugged before pacing over to stand by one of the windows, Aubrey could tell from his posture that he was anxious.

She frowned "What's wrong?"

Bucky sighed before running a hand down his face "I have this horrible feeling that somethings going to happen." he paused and looked at her "I don't want to see Steve...I can't" turning away Bucky watched out the window suspiciously. Aubrey padded over and sidled up beside him.

"If something happens..and Captain America...or Hydra come….I'll distract whoever it is while you run."

Bucky shook his head stubbornly and looked at Aubrey, something hard in his gaze. "No. I won't leave you. If anyone comes then we fight together."

Aubrey growled under her breath "Ridiculous" before saying a bit louder.

"If Captain America comes then you have to go. Otherwise, he will not let you go. Do you hear me?"

Bucky turned to her and frowned. "No, I don't think I do. If they come then you fly us away."

"And if they have Falcon?" She couldn't understand why he was being so annoying about this.

Bucky grunted at her and turned away, muttering unintelligibly under his breath. Aubrey rolled her eyes at him before going into the kitchen and shuffling around in the cupboards. She pulled out a can of peaches and used her talons to open the can before popping several into her mouth.

***Omaha Nebraska***

Sam Wilson watched as a car pulled back into the driveway, he had been here all day watching the house for Cap. And just as Sam had predicted, no one of interest had come. So either Cap's information was wrong or the Soldiers had gotten back and were laying low inside. His commlink chirped and he shifted, the leaves of the tree rustling around him.

"See anything Sam?" Cap's voice sounded in his ear.

"Nada. Cap are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yeah but I'm working on finding Eagle's house."

"Do you have a location yet?"

"Almost."

Sam sighed and told Cap he would head back to their make-shift base. He turned and took into the skies, his mind wandering to the endless search that Cap had been conducting. Even though he would never say it out loud to him Sam often thought about how if they wanted to be found they would come. Just as they had come to Sokovia and disappeared after. Before he knew it, he was landing behind the abandoned warehouse and plodding his way inside. Cap was sitting in one of the main rooms, his ancient flip-phone held up to his ear, and a laptop perched on the desk in front of him. Cap nodded to Sam as he searched the cupboards for something to eat. He found a box of graham crackers and opened it eagerly, taking no time to start munching on the crackers. Cap hung up and turned to look at Sam, who was watching from his spot on top of a desk. Sam's eyebrows rose in question, noting the excitement shining in his eyes.

"Tony thinks he found it"

"So..what... We go check it out tomorrow?" Sam watched the sun start to set through a window.

"I think we should go now, they could be gone by tomorrow-." Cap stood to his feet and picked up his shield. "-You don't have to come Sam. You've already helped so much."

But Sam held up a hand and shook his head, chuckling "You think I would give up the opportunity to show that my wings are better than hers? C'mon Cap, I thought you knew me better."

A grin plastered itself on Captain America's face as they started heading towards the house.

**Aubrey's P.O.V**

Aubrey silently padded through the house, making sure to constantly check the windows. Bucky's feeling of restlessness had spread to her. She couldn't help but wince at the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was coming. Finding her wings she quietly put them on and felt her nerves calm slightly, but not completely. Bucky was sleeping in the guest bedroom without windows and she was on watch. Her hand wandered to her bow and she fingered it before deciding to gear up in case something did happen. Her movements were quick and graceful as she finished strapping on her knives, throwing stars and arrows for her bow. A sound outside made Aubrey jump and she hurried to the side of a window, her goggles forming over her eyes. She tapped the side, turning on heat vision before scanning the area. Nothing….yet.

Something was coming...it had to be….

Super Soldier senses never lie.

Aubrey made another round of the house, her hands fiddling with her bow the whole time. But a whirring noise stopped her in her tracks. Vaguely she recognized the noise...from a fight long ago. Aubrey zipped to the guest room and she shook Bucky's shoulders to wake him. He shot up and read Aubrey's posture, knowing immediately that something was wrong.

"Was ist es?" [What is it?] He switched to German, something they had agreed to do if anything ever went wrong.

"Ich höre...das Geräusch von Jets" [I hear...the sound of jets]. Aubrey pushed the rising panic away as Bucky frowned.

"Wie ein fliegender Jet?" [Like flying jets?]

"Nein…. Wing Jets"

Bucky's eyes widened and he shot to his feet, gearing up. Aubrey quietly packed their bags and listened as the noise became closer and closer. Turning she met Bucky's gaze and whispered.

"You go out the basement door and I'll go out the front door to distract them while you go."

He opened his mouth to argue but Aubrey spoke first.

"I'll be in contact by tomorrow evening. Please Buck, just do what I say"

He groaned "I don't like this" before fishing something out of his bag and handing it to Aubrey. "I want to hear everything they say" his last words were hushed. He gave Aubrey a weak smile before disappearing down the stairs. Aubrey fingered the small commlink before putting it in her ear and saying

"Wait until I say firefly before going." She vaguely heard Bucky's grunt of acknowledgment over the commlink before she went into her bedroom and chucked her backpack out one of the windows, it landed in some bushes and she made sure to remember the spot for when it was time to go. She let her combat boots click on the flooring as she made her way to the front door and turned on her heat vision. Immediately Aubrey saw a winged figure hovering at the end of the path, another figure on the ground beside the flier. She knew that if she didn't intervene soon that someone would go around back. The two took several steps forward and Aubrey decided to change the plan. She silently climbed out of the window in her bedroom before using the shadows as cover to get to the front porch. There she positioned herself, bow drawn and arrow notched, waiting for them to notice. The sun had just slipped beneath the horizon but the moon shone brightly overhead as the houses outdoor lighting flicked on. Revealing the figures to Aubrey and she to them. They stilled as she took in their faces. Captain America, level fifteen. Bucky's friend. Sam Wilson, Falcon, Level eleven. Another Flier. Aubrey waited quietly as they cautiously approached. Falcon landed and walked beside Captain America, seeming to sense that any other movement would anger her. Both stopped several feet away as Captain America started to speak. Aubrey muttered under her breath, too quiet for normal ears. "Firefly"

"We don't want to hurt you. We've been looking for you for a long time"

Aubrey knew that he most likely couldn't care less where she had been. He only wanted Bucky. Her voice echoed through the clearing "We both know it's not me you're looking for"

She could have sworn that Falcon snickered at her words and she hoped that Bucky was moving quickly.

"She gotcha there Cap" he cut in but Captain America ignored him.

"We just want to talk. We didn't surround the house, no one else is here….Please" Aubrey felt bad for Cap, he had lost his best friend and just wanted to see him. But she knew that Bucky was far from ready for that.

"You are a danger just being here. Have you ever thought that maybe he isn't ready to be found?" Aubrey brought her bow down slightly but kept her hands on it just in case.

"He knows that I'm here for him. He has no reason to hide."

She felt a flare of anger at Captain America. He didn't understand what they were going through and never would. She paused when she heard Sam whisper to Cap.

"I'm picking up a heat signal moving quickly away from the house. I think she's stalling."

Caps frowned and watched Aubrey carefully for a crack in her armor. But she held strong and returned his gaze with a steely one of her own.

"He will find you when he's ready," Aubrey growled, sensing that it was almost time to go. Cap shook his head

"No, you don't un-"

Aubrey's gaze snapped to him and she jumped off the porch, snarling "No, you don't understand. You want your best friend back but he's not here. Your friend from all those years ago is gone. The person who emerged from Hydra is very different from the one you knew. But Bucky doesn't know who he is now, we both are still figuring it out.-" She paused, taking in a breath, and realized that her hands were shaking. "-You don't know how many times we've both woken up screaming because we remember things we've done. You don't understand and never will. When Bucky is ready he will come back to you. Until then..just let us be." Aubrey heaved a breath and felt her eyes hot with unshed tears. Cap whispered something unintelligible to Falcon and he nodded before taking off. Aubrey knew where he was going and she flared her wings before shooting into the sky after Falcon. She shot in front of him and crossed her arms as he skid to a hovering stop.

"I can't let you go any farther" Out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey watched Captain America skirt the house before going in.

"You know he won't stop" Falcon spoke, his voice ringing through the night.

"He won't but I won't let him get this close again." Aubrey put finality into the words, feeling guilty for bringing Bucky back here.

"He's gone then. That was him."

Aubrey nodded and sighed heavily, flapping backward until she had gotten several steps away from Falcon. He seemed to sense her uneasiness and nodded respectfully to her. "Take care of him and I'll take care of Cap."

"Alright...-" she hesitated but her next words popped out by themselves "-But my wings are better" A wicked grin shown on her face as she dove to the bushes and hauled her backpack out, Falcons last words ringing through the night.

We'll see about that!"

With one last longing look at her house, Aubrey flew into the dark night. Yet even though the danger had passed a foreboding feeling was nagging at the back of her mind. Aubrey tried in vain to ignore it but before long she became paranoid, changing course every few hours and flying in zigzags. Her mind kept circling to the same words

Something was coming….Something more than Captain America...Something worse...much...much worse.

Super Soldier senses never lie...


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N* Tis the moment you've all been waiting for...maybe its just me..? Shall we see what our Super Soldiers are up too?**

**Also, when you get near the end there is a song that is perfect for it. When I was writing the end of this chapter the song was playing in my head. Its Porch, from Avengers Infinity War by Alan Silvestri. Just a little extra thing :)**

**(Also, Sorry that it's so short! More coming soon!)**

Aubrey hurtled into a large oak tree, gasping. She had been flying in the heat for three hours and before that? Two days. Her limbs flailed for a branch and she finally grabbed one, pulling herself up and perching like a bird. Her tired body groaned in protest, sweat trickling down her back. Her black combat suit had not done her any favors in the Texas heat. Aubrey's wings folded neatly behind her and she mulled over everything that had happened in the past 48 hours. She had landed in Texas late last night but the next morning she had picked up a tail. Almost immediately she had taken off and had been flying until now. Hunger gnawed at her belly but Aubrey's senses were on high alert, telling her to stay put. The leaves whispered in the wind and Aubrey's body sighed in relief. She sniffed the air and her stomach growled at the scent of hotdogs. Looking down she saw a hotdog cart not too far from her tree. It took everything in her not to swoop down and take the whole cart. Her hunger almost won out but Aubrey's mind reminded her that just this morning a Hydra agent had been tailing her. That thought alone rooted her to the tree branch. How had they found her? If she hadn't been paying attention then most certainly the agent would have succeeded. Puffing a breath out of her lips Aubrey watched a group of kids buy hotdogs and congregate beneath her tree. Her wings shuffled as she backed closer to the trunk, hoping she wouldn't be seen. The kids talked among themselves while they ate but at one point a boy stood up and declared.

"I bet none of you can climb this tree higher than I can!" he was met with various challenges from the others. The boy grabbed onto the trunk and started to shimmy himself up. Aubrey hissed under her breath and started climbing higher, attempting to hide. The group on the ground started cheering as the boy made it to the lower branches. He grabbed on and started moving faster. Aubrey made it to the top of the tree and nestled in the leaves, precariously balanced on a thin branch. She didn't want to fly in the heat or broad daylight and she hoped that the boy would soon tire. But the boy's strength didn't wain, he was half-way up the tree before Aubrey started to really worry. She scanned the area and knew immediately that someone would see her. So instead she deactivated her wings and dug her jean-jacket out of her bag, shrugging it on. Aubrey found one of her burner phones, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and pretended to be messing around on it. Moments later the boy's head popped into view. He startled when he caught sight of Aubrey and his brows furrowed.

"What?-" his eyes looked like they wanted to pop out of his head. "-How...When...What?" You're just sitting up here?"

Aubrey flicked her eyes up to him before looking back at her phone. She nodded and pretended to be uninterested. The boy made a noise with his mouth and looked like he wanted to say something else but one of his friends called from below

"Getting scared?"

"No..theres just..someone else up here" the boy called back

"Surreeee" was a child's reply.

Aubrey sighed and looked at the boy "Are you done yet?" she sounded grouchy and her words did the trick. The boy nodded and continued climbing. She watched him make it to the highest branch. He called down to the kids on the ground

"I made it! I'm coming down now" he shimmied back down, avoiding Aubrey. She waited as the kids talked among themselves and when she heard them mention racing to the top. Aubrey packed her stuff up and made her way to the lower branches, jumping to the ground. She pulled one of Bucky's baseball caps out of her bag and shoved it onto her head. Only a couple of the kids noticed her and they gave her odd looks but didn't say anything. Aubrey shouldered her tan backpack on, her deactivated wings. And held her other bag in her hands. She made her way to the edge of the park and from there slipped into alleyways. Her stomach grumbled and Aubrey hissed under her breath. She was hot, hungry, and thirsty, making for an irritable combination. Slinking out from an alleyway she eyed another hotdog cart, weighing her options. Her survival instincts told her to eat as soon as possible. So Aubrey watched as the owner served up several people. The people wandered off and she waited for her time to strike. The owner fanned himself with his apron and waited for more customers, Aubrey walked past the stand and watched as the man looked around and started locking things up. He hid the cart behind a dumpster before going into a cafe, presumably to use the restroom. Aubrey went up to the cart and used a hairpin to pick the lock, she fished out three hotdogs and took four buns. Leaving a twenty-dollar bill underneath one of the locks. She relocked everything and took the hotdogs back into an alleyway, devouring them within minutes. Aubrey's stomach gurgled thankfully and she felt slightly better, her head-clearing.

She scaled a small building and retreated to the crook of a roof, her eyes zooming around the square, looking for somewhere better to rest. Aubrey didn't want to go to any safehouses in the area because they were all once Hydra's. Therefore Hydra would know where to look. Her run-in with the agent that morning had her spooked. She jumped from one building to another and climbed to a roof, hiding away in a garden shed at the top of an apartment building. Aubrey's body sighed in relief in the coolness of the shed. She flopped back onto a bag of dirt and wished she could close her eyes. But her training told her otherwise, instead, she sat in the coolness and pulled a map out of her bag. Her finger trailed the route she had taken to where she was now. Ackerly, Texas. Aubrey's finger slid over the rough map paper as she figured out where her route would end. She tried in vain to keeper herself busy but before she knew what was happening Aubrey's eyelids flickered closed and she drifted off with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She slept for a full day and night before waking to her grumbling stomach. The lustery moonlight shown through the slats in the shed and Aubrey shot to an upright position. Her eyes immediately scanning her dark surroundings.

"I can't believe I nodded off" she grumbled before getting to her feet, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Aubrey prepared her wings before opening the shed door warily. The full moon was her companion as she slunk to the edge of the roof, the garden plants rustling in the light breeze. The street below seemed quieter and Aubrey breathed a deep breath before jumping off the building and launching into the sky. Her metallic wings coasted on the breeze as she flew through the night, the twinkling stars keeping her company. Silently she wondered if Bucky had made it far enough away but she was pulled from her thoughts by the rising sun. She had passed through most of Mexico and was now flying over Guatemala. As she started descending, Aubrey scouted the area and decided to stay in the central city. She smoothly landed on top of a building, her legs shook from disuse but soon they were steady enough to walk. Aubrey swiped more food and rested until nightfall. Then she took to the skies once again. She flew to Colombia before scouting out an abandoned house. From the outside, it was abandoned and there was no sign of anyone, yet her senses warned against the house. Aubrey did a thorough search around the house, her exhaustion winning out. She crept through the back door and Aubrey let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The house was empty...or so she thought. A floorboard creaked behind her and Aubrey stiffened, whirling around she came face to face with the last person she would have ever expected here.

Bucky.

Yet this wasn't the Bucky she knew...His eyes were clouded over and his face was stiff..emotionless. Only once before had Aubrey seen him like this..when he had been with Hydra. His brows narrowed at Aubrey and he started creeping closer, his footsteps silent. Aubrey gulped and felt fear bloom in her stomach..all along she had been right..something had been coming..something far worse than she had ever expected… Bucky snapped forward and attempted to grab Aubrey's wing but his hand only grazed the edge of her jets. She shot backward, the wall of the house shattering behind her. Rotted wood scraped Aubreys back but she ignored the pain, her focus on one person. Bucky launched at her and attempted to land blows to her head. Growling, Aubrey blocked them and shot back with blows of her own. She didn't want to hurt Bucky but when Aubrey glimpsed his knife she knew that he was truly gone. Aubrey wanted more than anything to take Bucky with her but couldn't with him in this state. She had to get help... Aubrey flared her wings and shot into the sky but a knife delved into her thigh, accompanied by two more in her lower leg. A guttural scream of pain ripped it's way out of Aubrey's mouth as she felt something hot and sticky running down her leg. Tears stream down her face but deep down Aubrey knew that if she didn't get away now then she had no hope. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her legs she spurred her jets on and shot into the sky…... Only for her wings to freeze up, her jets to die...and a net thrown around her.

Sounds played in her ears yet she did not hear….

People with red skull symbols flashed before her eyes yet she did not see….

Things scraped her broken body as she was drug along the ground yet she did not feel…

She was numb to these things..refusing to believe what had happened. The flight to wherever they were going was long and the whole time she stared at him. When she shifted she gasped in pain, her mouth forming a single word.

"Bucky…"

He stiffened and the handlers in the helicopter all looked to her with disdain. Her hands were bound and He looked around confusedly. A handler spoke rapid German, Aubreys befuddled mind was too clouded to understand. The Super Soldier nodded once at the words and continued staring straight ahead.

He had been a silent guardian and still was...yet his role had changed dramatically. She knew this would be the time they broke...or not

She listened as the helicopter landed, sitting in a pool of her own blood, dizzy from pain and lightheaded from emotion. The world spun before her as the handlers exited with him. She made no attempt to move and eventually someone came and heaved the net out of the copter. Her eyes trailed him until he disappeared into the murkiness of the building. The net was drug into the building, she held onto consciousness for as long as possible but every bump in the flooring felt as if another knife was being stabbed into her leg. So she let go and let the darkness take over, falling back into it and drifting away.

Floating on the murky waters of her consciousness, she was content to stay there forever..if not for the searing pain that flashed colors in her mind. She felt her physical body being thrown around before finally coming to rest on cold flooring that seemed to suck any remaining heat. Too soon she was pulled from the murky waters...back to reality..one she couldn't believe was happening. Her eyelids flickered open but shut tightly when white light seared them. A throbbing in the back of her mind pushed to the forefront when she sat up. A gasp of pain tore it's way out of her mouth as she leaned against a cold wall….Everything here was leeching any leftover warmth from her body. Violent shivers started to wrack it and she leaned her head back, puffing a breath out of her lips. A clang echoed through the room and she lifted her head weakly to see a handler enter the room.

"Wie heißen Sie" [What is your name] the man bellowed in German.

She sighed dejectedly, tired of fighting an uphill battle. Yet her true name came out of her mouth.

"Aubrey" Even as she said it, she heard the hopelessness in her voice...the note of pain. The man growled, in English this time.

"Your identity has become known, for now, it is too dangerous for you to be of use. If the Avengers noticed a spike in murders then they would be suspicious, would they not?-"

She didn't answer, reserving her strength as the man continued.

"-They most certainly would be...And we can't have that, can we? So instead the..-" the man hesitated, his next words full of malice "- remains...of Hydra will be training you and enhancing your enhancements. Preparing you for what is yet to come."

A last shot of venom boiled in her veins and she hissed at the man.

"You will fail, just as you have in the past. Everything Hydra has done has amounted to failure."

Yet the man chuckled "There has only ever been two things that Hydra got right.-" he sobered and looked straight at her, his snake eyes burrowing into her soul. "-The Winter Soldier..and Der Adler... You are our greatest achievement. More so than the other one. We did the right thing coming back for you...years of research would have been wasted otherwise-"

She cut him off "-How...how did you find Bucky….and me"

"He is much weaker than you so it was logical to capture him first. Neither of you are as unpredictable as you think you are." the man stopped and Aubrey heard a commlink in his hear chirp. He listened for a moment before heading towards the door. The man disappeared out it and just as Aubrey thought he was gone...he returned. Before she knew what was happening, a brightly colored dart pierced her skin and she went unconscious, anger burning her skin.

She woke in a cell, one of her feet bound with a chain to the wall. She groaned in pain before pulling herself upright. It was then that she realized that she had a new wound on her opposite leg. A burning cold sensation tingled and she gasped when it zinged from her toes to her head. Her mind was fuzzy yet she still knew who she was...kind of. She didn't move, staying in one spot for hours, blinking in and out of consciousness. Days or weeks may have passed. Food was shoved in and she knew after the first night that something was in the food. It burned her tongue and left her with stomach cramps. But one night a man appeared and hoisted her to her feet. She numbly limped through the hallways but when she was guided into a room she froze. She remembered this...this monstrosity. The silvery, shining chair looked no different then it had the last time she had seen it. She started repeating one thing over and over in her mind until it became a finality._ "My name is Aubrey, I am the Eagle. I will find a way to break through the fog."_

The girl was forced into the chair and before they could do anything, her unconscious did her a favor and let her fade away, the sentence blaring into her mind as the pain took over.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N* Okay! probably the fastest I have ever gotten a chapter out. It's very different from the old chapter 19. Please let me know if you like 1st person or prefer the way Eagle has been before now. (I think its 3rd person but don't quote me).**

**I enjoy writing it either way but if you guys prefer 1st person we can try that for a bit. I'm so glad that I've rewritten it, even though I already had half of chapter 20 done...(gotta start that over now...) **

**If you are enjoying then hit that follow button! Feel free to leave a comment letting me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you guys, whether its questions or ideas or opinions!)**

**Once again, please let me know which view you prefer! (1st or 3rd)**

**Thank you, everyone, who has already commented or followed! Y'all are the best!**

**Garlic Bread 3: Norway?! That's so awesome! I must say though, your purposeful misspelling of their names cracked both myself and my friend (who helps meh edit) up. Even now reading it makes me laugh and I can totally see Aubrey asking Bucky something like "Hey Buck has anyone ever accidentally called you Bucket?" or something like that...might have to steal that for later... It is definitely an improvement that she remembers her name. Maybe Capiscal will break them out! But I don't think that Borky is in the right mindset...I guess you need to read the chapter and find out...**

***for those of you reading for the first time, Hi and welcome :) ,I apologize for jumping to 1st person without warning! Just felt right for this chapter.***

The pain is almost unbearable as my eyelids flutter, grimacing at the white light searing them. My mind is once again warring with itself, yet this time the fog seems to be less violent. Hovering on the edges of my being cautiously, waiting for the time to strike. Something isn't right...I know it...I can feel it...something the fog is covering up...yet when my mental hand goes to reach for it...the fog viciously tears at the mental hand, resulting in a throbbing, pounding headache...I was wrong..the fog is just as violent as it once was..it just...senses my strength...and my weakness….it hungers for it…

I sit up, wincing as everything aches and my mission blares in my mind. _"I am the Eagle, waiting for my next mission."_ Yet the command feels questioning. Silently, I examine the room, it's dark stone, and the reflective, silver, toilet sink combination. Swinging my leg around brings a gasp of pain gurgling out of my mouth. My eyes flicker down to the leg and take in the raw skin that is stretched with a row of jagged stitches.

Where did the wound come from?

Questions beg to swirl in my mind but the fog hungrily eats them up, thirsting for more. The door to the cell clicks before swinging open, a man clad in black clothing strides in, rumbling.

"Adler, Steh auf und folge mir" [Eagle, get up and follow me]. I want more than anything not to listen to him but my trapped mind takes the command in stride. Limbs obeying without hesitation. I know something isn't right...I know I'm_ her_ but I'm also Eagle….which came first...I...I don't remember…..Sometimes remembering just brings more pain. The man leads me to a room that stinks of sterilization. A metal chair sits in the middle with medical supplies surrounding it. The man points to the chair, clearly wanting me to sit there. Cautiously, I limp over and ease into it, wondering what they have in store for me next. The man nods with approval before disappearing out the door for several minutes, giving me time to examine the room. It's small, with silver counters lining many of the walls. Machines on the counters hum, doing their jobs accordingly….like me...I am Hydra's machine...finely tuned to do their work. The man returned, the door clicking as four others follow him in. Each wears a white coat with a nametag. The first man, his nametag has the name"Dr. Fischer." printed neatly on it. He turns to my handler, his English heavily accented.

"We are going to be removing its metal talon plates and replacing them with stronger, better ones," he says as he creeps closer, moving my right hand to a platform and flicking on a medical light, examining the hand closely. Another one of the doctors comes forward with sterilized tools and a case. He opens the case with flourish, placing it beside my hand.

"What are the advantages of the new ones?" my handler rumbles.

"These have the capability to change color, to look like natural fingernails. They can also be individually activated instead of all of them activating at once. These should also attach to her skin better, become one with her. And react to her emotions when needed."

The new nails glint at me from their case and it's then that I realize the men don't know how attached my current talons are….maybe they know and don't care. The man picks up the first finger and sanitizes it, taking tweezers and clasping the nail. It pulls on my skin and silently I prepare for pain. The man tsk's under his breath, examining the nail closer.

"It..apears...that the current plates have..integrated far better then we expected." he murmurs as he picks up a shining blade and starts sawing away the connecting flesh. A hiss involuntarily makes it's way out of my mouth as the finger starts to thud with pain. My eyes tear up until the room becomes blurry and unfocused, my muscles beg to tear the hand away but my handlers voice cuts through.

"Adler!-" he snaps "-beweg dich nicht" [Don't move]. My back stiffens and the fog eats up any voluntary thoughts, growing thicker by the minute. The hand burns as the first plate peels off, finger feeling scorched. Venom swirls in my mind as I try in vain to reach for the thoughts on the fringe of my existence. The next three plates come off quickly and by the time the man gets to the fifth I start to writhe in pain….my body going against my handler's orders….maybe it is possible….to break out. The man removes the last plate on my right hand with flourish, nodding approvingly. Something hot and sticky oozes on my hand and my bleary eyes glance over, confirming any suspicions. The man wipes the blood away and I watch as he presses the first plate to my pointer finger. Its chill is slightly soothing as thousands of microscopic claws plunge into the severed flesh, grabbing hold. The process was repeated with each finger and at the end, they were wrapped in gauze….all too soon it is time for the left hand. Somehow I endure through the pain, blinking away tears as I stumble after my handler. This time we go to a large room with cylindrical tubes and machines hooked up to them. One of the tubes opens and my handler pushes me onto a plate on the floor. The tube groans as it closes and a moment too late the realization emerges into my mind….I'm going into cryofreeze. The tube starts to hum and a bone-breaking, mind-numbing, frigid pain starts at my feet and travels up to my head. Within seconds I am gone.

_People and places float through my mind...images of her...the other me...yet the same me….I know I'm in cryofreeze..yet somehow my subconscious is not….. Recent memories float on a river through my mind...mostly being on the run with him...My capture….It leaves me furious...shades of red flash as I seethe.. Wanting to burn my captors to the ground….Yet I don't just want it...I crave it...and somehow...the fog does too….The time is coming… The man said that I was predictable...that they knew our next moves...I am not so predictable anymore….not now...when I know that the programming isn't permanent...not for me… Maybe they had seen us coming...but this?... They will not….my Revenge will be swift and sweet...I will burn every single one of those rats…..after all…..**Anyone Can Betray Anyone.**_

The Soldier was sitting in a chair, watching silently as a technician did something to his mechanical arm. Anguish bloomed in his chest but he pushed it away, unsure where it had come from. He had his mission and that was it….wasn't it?… He silently answered his own question. Yes, it was. He was brought back to attention by his handler entering the room. Vaguely he heard his handler whispering to another.

"The operation was successful and she is now in cryofreeze. What are the plans for the other one?" the other man's voice was hushed and he glanced at the Soldier.

"We plan on refreshing everything, testing his skills to make sure everything is sound. How long will she be in? I am tired of listening to her handler"

The man chuckled under his breath "She is just a girl with wings."

"What are you proposing?" his handler asked, sounding mildly curious.

"I say we have a little competition, not like there's anything else to do around here." the other man sneered. "Our weapon against yours."

"You're on" his handler turned and reached for the door "-I'll go tell her handler." His handler disappeared out the door. Soldier's mind felt the mist moving back in and he succumbed quickly.

The frost starts to fade, the numbing cold retreating along with it. The chilly tethers that had attached in my mind retreat and my eyes flicker open. The cylindrical tube lifts and recycled air filters into my lungs. Taking a deep breath I glance around the room until my eyes zero in on the handler. He motions and starts down the hallway. Stepping off the metal plate, my knees wobble yet my handler snaps at me, legs straighten on their own. He motions to my hands and slowly I unwind the gauze. Angry, puffy fingers stare back at me, tan-colored metal plates gleaming in the dim lighting and I eye the attachments with disgust as we walk. Before long we are in the weapons room where I'm handed my combat suit, wings, and sharp, plastic knives. Then we stride to a large circular room. The room has high ceilings and a metal bar cage sits in the middle, leaving a small walking space around the edges. Confusion clouds my mind but it flees as soon as my handler whirls around, stopping me in my tracks.

"Adler, a lot rests on today. You will be battling Soldat but not to death. No fatal wounds are allowed-" he pauses and says in a lower voice "But we have to win...at any cost." he doesn't wait for my reply because a door on the opposite end of the room clangs open. Another handler prowls in, Soldat at his heels. Slowly, I come to the realization of what's happening and I hiss….dreading what's coming. More people file in, nervous energy filling any empty space, against my will I'm pushed into the arena, the deadbolt clanging behind me. My feet sink into the sand and I test the traction with my combat boots…preparing for what is to come. The opposite arena door slides open and Soldat strides in, purpose gleaming in his cloudy eyes. Rules sound through the room as the handlers utter them to the men. All at once, everything quiets in anticipation.

"Begin"

My mind runs through a million different strategies but chooses one at random as Soldat runs at me. My wings flap as I prepare to take off but just as my feet leave the ground, I'm jerked back down. Soldat had shot across the arena and taken hold of my wing, pulling me back down. Hissing under my breath I spin around and jab my knife into his metal arm, hearing the whir of circuitry as his grasp releases. Flying horizontally, so my back is against the cage, I wait. He takes it as fear and strides forward, drawing a knife from one of his pockets. My wings flare and an inhuman growl rips out of my mouth as I propel my jets, knocking into Soldat and flinging him across the arena, into the metal bars. The metal groans and a thud sounds as he hits it, the people outside the arena cheer and egg me on...yet something in me doesn't want to hurt him…... I don't want to hurt him…..She doesn't want a fight. But I'm brought out of my stupor as Soldat shakes off his surprise, throwing a knife with frightening accuracy. It knicks my stitches and they tear, a screech ripping out of my mouth.

"Adler! ihn zu zerstören" [Eagle! Destroy him.] My handler's command cuts through the dim and I feel my mind as it takes the command, my body becoming a stranger. It flies at the Soldat and we tumble around the arena for several minutes before Soldat backs off his flesh arm bleeding. Whistling under my breath I flick blood off of my face and shudder, flickering in and out of sight. Soldat looks around and backs to where he entered the arena, vaguely I hear his handler whispering to him. His eyes narrow and he nods before drawing out more knives, rapidly throwing them. I catch one and throw it back. For several long moments, we circle the arena, waiting for the other to strike.

Flaring my wings I hover above the ground and send gusts off wind Soldat's way, sand flies up and pelts him, making it impossible to locate my position. Soldat holds up his hands to shield his eyes as he starts to push forward. My wings flap harder and I start to move around the arena, confusing him even more. He stops moving, waiting until I'm finished, my wings stop and I fly to the top of the arena, above where Soldat is stood. He wipes off his face, slinging chunks of sand away before looking around for his target. Flicking my jets off, I dive at him, he looks up just before we collide. The only sound is the cracking of a nose, it echoes off the sides as I jab another knife into his robotic arm, pinning it into the sand best I can, ruining as much circuitry as possible. The arm sparks and Soldier glares at me with barely concealed rage, twisting out from under me and kicking me to the ground. Sand and blood fill my mouth and coat my face as his fist meets my face. I spit in his eyes and wiggle out from under, shooting to my feet as we both draw another set of knives.

Soldat rushes forward, thrusting a knife at my face, dodging, I draw blood from his left leg, but in the process, I make a fatal mistake. The moment I bend over to slash his leg, I expose my back. Soldat's knife plunges into my back and jaggedly splits it open. Gutteral, animal noises escape as I gasp for air, staggering backward, hands clenched in pain. My chest heaves as we both back to the edges of the arena. Leaning over, I retch, the meager contents of my stomach soaking into the sand. Warm liquid oozes down my back and gingerly I try to assess the wound, hissing in pain. Soldat's eyes had sparked when I had screamed and he was now panting, looking at me with horror. His mouth moves like he wants to speak but nothing comes out.

Two voices ring across the arena, speaking over each other.

"Sodalt! Finish her!"

"Adler! Soldat! Stand down!"

Both of us hear the second command and limp towards the separate doors. My door slides open and just as I'm about to step out of the sand-filled arena something whizzes across the arena and lodges in my back. My vision dims as I crumple to my knees, eerie screams echoing in my ears as the pain becomes too much to bear and darkness swallows me whole.

**_I Must Escape._**

The words echo in my ears as my eyes shoot open. I'm laying on my stomach on a scratchy hospital bed. Shifting, I immediately regret it, sucking in a breath as pain blooms across my back. A woman in the room clicks her tongue at me and whispers.

"It will all be numb in a moment but there is nothing I can do about the scarring on your back or your arms." I groan but stop when I hear what the woman said….my arms?

I know I should stay quiet but the words pop out.

"My...arms?"

The woman's voice sounds again...closer this time..quieter too.

"They said the other one charged at you and they couldn't get him off….had to drag him and wipe him five times before he became compliant...kept saying the same thing over and over again."

"What did he say" It comes out a whisper. The woman crouches down and looks me in the eyes, her voice barely audible.

"I'm not cleared to tell you but it's just us right now. He talked about a girl named Aubrey...and then he was babbling about Hydra. They think he thought you were an enemy operative but I know better. His handler wanted you dead-."

The revelation makes me gulp and just that movement makes me wince. The woman watches for a moment before leaning to my ear, voice soft.

"-I don't know how you broke out of the programming sweetie but we have people on the inside, working to get you and him out." footsteps sound in the hallway outside the door, and the woman straightens, but not before she can get out one last sentence.

"Hang in there, pretend to be asleep"

My eyes flutter closed, taking the command, I don't even try to fake it, fading in and out of consciousness, both from blood loss and pain. Vaguely the sound of my handler's voice rumbles through the room but the woman seems to calm him down. My dreams become vivid, some living nightmares, they come rushing back, the fog backs away from them...as if afraid...

A week passes, I know because at the end I wake up just long enough for the woman to whisper encouragement in my ear.

Another passes and this time my head doesn't pound as much.

"Ahh, she lives" The nurse smiles warmly as she helps me turn onto my back and sit up. The stitches stretch but it's then that I see the extent of the damage. Two jagged rows of stitches line my left arm and one on the right. Small jagged cuts dot my legs and my back aches at the smallest movement. When I blink my right eye twitches, my hand shoots up to my face and feels around the eye. Another cut from the middle of my eyebrow down to beneath my eye... at least three inches in all. Gingerly my hand wanders to my back, following the line of stitches from my left shoulder, diagonally to my right hip. In the middle is a divot.

"He lodged a knife in your back before he launched at you-" the woman explains quietly, sadness in her voice. "-Your handler is coming to check on you today-" she pauses and comes closer "-It is imperative that you act normal….Eagle" She quiets when I nod, watching as she exchanges my I.V out for a fresh one. The door to the stark-white room clicks open and my handler strides in, his face visibly relaxing at the sight of me awake and conscious.

"Adler...she is...awake?" he addresses the nurse. She strides over to him and they talk quietly. I stare ahead..acting...waiting for a mission.

Vaguely I hear him. "She has a mission soon and my..ah..officer doesn't know about the...incident.I would prefer it to stay that way... She is fit to perform?" His English is broken but she understands. The woman acts surprised but out of the corner of my eye, I can tell….she already knew. My handler has not had the training I have and he doesn't suspect a thing. But the woman's eyes sparkle with mischief.

"She will be able to go on the mission but must be careful not to tear the stitches." she chirps, playing her part. My handler nods, satisfied with the answer. He examines me from afar before disappearing out of the room. A breath escapes the woman and she turns to find me watching her. She smiles weakly and winks at me before murmuring.

"Get some sleep Aubrey, you're going to need all of your strength for what comes next."


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N" Hello hello! I hope you all are settling back into school routines alright! Because of school starting up again, the chapters will be coming out on a slightly slower basis but not too slow because I'm homeschooled so I do tend to have a bit more free time than other students.**

**And on the fourteenth of September, I'm going on a 10-ish day trip with my family to Yellowstone National Park. I'll try to have at least one more chapter out by then (or be in the process of writing one.) But if I don't get it out then I'll work on it when I get back!**

**Have a blessed day :)**

Nick Fury growled as he furiously typed a response to one of his agents at the Hydra base. He had been tracking this particular group for several months and sure enough, they had finally scurried back to their base...their rat's nest. But something...or rather someone had put a wrench in his plans. Somehow these agents had succeeded in recapturing their Soldiers...although from what his agent had said...the girl was in the process of breaking out from the programming. So now, he was tasked with not only destroying the base and everyone in it but breaking out both of the Soldiers before it was too late...

Eagle watched the nurse bustle around the room, doing nothing in particular. Her raw skin stretched as she leaned forward, getting used to the healed skin. Something in the nurse's pocket buzzed and she froze, eyes darting around the room before discreetly pulling a small gadget out of her pocket and attaching it to her ear. The nurse nodded her head sharply, murmuring under her breath before turning to Eagle and cautiously venturing closer.

"Aub...Eagle, I have a mission for you, do you understand.?" Her voice was tentative.

"Bereit zur Einhaltung" [Ready to Comply] Eagle responded in German, her programed answer.

The woman's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion and she nodded, gulping before continuing, this time in rapid-fire German.

"In zwei Tagen wird es eine Infiltration dieser Basis geben. Unser Ziel ist es, Sie und Soldier in Sicherheit zu bringen. Aber.. um die Basis vollständig loszuwerden, müssen wir sie in die Luft sprengen. Hier kommen Sie ins Spiel." [Tomorrow there is going to be an infiltration of this base. Our goal is to get you and Soldier to safety. But..in order to completely be rid of the base we need to blow it up. That is where you come in.]- The woman paused once more, going to where a drip I.V connected to the crook of Eagle's arm, fiddling with it. -"Morgen werde ich Deinen I.V-Tropfen durch einen brennbaren Tropf ersetzen. Wir werden einen Spaziergang um das Gelände machen und es entlang der Basis der Gänge tropfen." [Tomorrow morning I'm going to replace your I.V drip with a flammable drip. We are going to take a walk around the compound and drip it along the base of the hallways.]

"Das ... ist meine Mission?" [This...Is my Mission?] Eagle clicked softly.

"Ja, unser Ziel ist es, alles zu sprengen" [Yes, our goal is to blow everything.]

Eagle nodded, repeating the mission in her mind before tentatively asking one more question."Meine Flügel, das Messer schnitten auch ihre Schaltkreise. Wo sind sie?" [My wings, the knife cut their circutry. Where are they?]

The woman opened her mouth to answer but shook her head, whispering "All in due time." before clicking a setting on Eagle's I.V. Eagle frowned as she looked down to the crook of her arm where the needle was inserted. Green liquid was traveling down the tube and mixing with her blue-tinged blood.

"Was is das?!" [What is this?!] She snapped but stopped as her head started to pound. Blinking hard, Eagle tilted her head and looked at the nurse, who had a sympathetic smile.

"All in due time." The woman repeated as Eagle hissed, her eyes starting to feel pressure...as if they were about to blow up. Her temples throbbed and her hands shot to her face, the stitches stretching. Her fingers tore at her eyes, trying to stop the burning pressure. The woman rushed forward, ripping Eagle's hands away from her face and locking them into cuffs on the sides of the hospital bed. Eagle growled at the woman and strained at the cuffs, feeling the metal bend beneath her pull. But all at once, everything darkened and her mind shut itself down.

_Eagle's mind clicked and something new emerged…..something she had known about before Hydra...but it had been long forgotten..laying dormant until the woman had re-activated it. Her mind screeched in anger, at the woman, at Hydra….at everyone. For their betrayal and the pain, it had caused her. But Revenge was coming...if the woman had told the truth then everything would be up in flames within hours. She knew she had broken out of the programming...yet the fog still lingered…._

_She was Eagle...yet she was Aubrey. Two people trapped in one body._

Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up, immediately regretting the decision as everything pulled and ached. She examined the room, it was dark with stone walls and flooring, she sat on a cot on the floor. Eagle's mind was hazy as she gingerly rubbed her temples, remembering what was to come and what had happened. Something had emerged from the retreating darkness while she had been unconscious. It felt as if her mind had turned on and everything buzzed differently. Eagle's mind reeled as new energy whizzed through. It felt as if something had been missing and she had never known. Her mental hand felt other minds in the area and she frowned, mentally reaching for one. She felt the mind grow confused and the recent thoughts disappeared. Yet when she tried to glimpse the thoughts she found that they were fuzzy and unorganized. Absentmindedly, as Eagle wondered over this new power. Her hand wandered to her back, tracing the stitching, trying to picture the wound in her mind. The jagged stitching ran from her right shoulder diagonally down to her left hip and right In the middle a there was a divot where she assumed a knife had hit right at the end of the fight. The skin was hot to the touch and painful. An I.V was still attached to her elbow and her stomach growled hungrily...She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. It was then that she noticed that there was nothing moving through the I.V's cord and the liquid inside the bag had a glint to it. She slowly got to her feet before examining the bag closer, it stunk of gasoline. Her nose tickled and she frowned as a sneeze ripped it's way out of her lungs, the sudden jerk making her back scream in agony. The door clicked and she whirled around to see the nurse from the day before standing in the doorway, a nervous glint in her eye.

"Eagle...we must walk before your handler comes with a mission...to help your wounds heal." the woman stutters in English. Eagle nods and silently comes over, bringing the I.V with her. The woman smiles weakly, taking a pin out of her hair and reaching over to the I.V, making a small slit at the bottom of the abnormally large bag. The woman returns the pin back to her hair before motioning for Eagle to follow her. They walk through the compound, passing many closed doors with locks, the liquid streaming onto the floor, matching the dark-colored cement. But as they pass the armory the woman whispers.

"Your wings are in there, along with a combat suit, boots, and anything else you might need. As soon as our walk finishes you must go to the armory and get everything you and the Soldier will need. He will be there. An Agent will come to retrieve you."

Eagle nods and they take various other hallways until they are back in Eagle's cell. The I.V is mysteriously empty and the woman removes the needle from the crook of Eagle's arm before nodding bye. Leaving the door unlocked. Eagle heaved a deep breath before cautiously venturing out the door and back towards the armory, her bare feet are silent on the cold flooring and her hair hangs loosely. Yet no one intercepts her, the armory is empty and her wings sit in back-pack form on a table, besides them is a neatly folded, shining black combat suit and her old boots. Along with her bow and various knives/stars. She wastes no time pulling the suit on, wincing every time she has to move. The stitches pull as her wings activate and unfold, the jets humming quietly as they warm up. Heavy footsteps outside the armory door make Eagle stiffen and she whirls around as the door slides open, freezing at the sight of the newcomer. Soldier ventures into the room cautiously, retrieving his gear silently before placing himself by the door.

"Du bist hier für die Mission?" [You're here for the mission?] Her voice echoes through the room.

"Die Agenten hier Verräter von Hydra sind." [the agents here are traitors to Hydra.] is Soldier's gruff reply. Eagle nods, realizing that they lied to him but she stays quiet, finishing strapping her knives into the various pockets in her combat suit. Footsteps sound outside the door again and both stiffen. Eagle bolts to the rafters of the room and Soldier conceals himself in the shadows. A knock sounds on the door before it bangs open. A sharply dressed man strides in and he barks.

"Adler! Soldat! Komm hier runter und lass uns gehen. Wut wartet auf niemanden." [Eagle! Soldier! Get down here. Fury waits for no one.]

Eagle glides to the floor, bow in hand, and motions with her head for Soldier to follow. He nods and watches as the agent goes to one of the blank walls, fingering one of the metal plates. He puts his ear against it for a moment before pressing hard on the plate. It hisses and groans before sliding open, creaking with disuse. The Agent flashes a cocky grin at the emotionless Soldiers, his grin fades and he clears his throat before venturing into the old passageway. Cobwebs plaster themselves on Eagle's face and she gulps, wiping them away, suppressing a shudder. Suddenly, the ground shakes, and loud noises start to sound. Vaguely Eagle hears a siren start to wail eerily, it's sound echoes off the walls and the Agent starts to move faster, muttering under his breath.

Eventually light starts to filter into the tunnel and Eagle breathes a sigh of relief, tired of not knowing where the enemy is. They exit on rocky shores and it's then that Eagle realizes that the compound is on an island in the middle of nowhere. A black helicopter sits perched precariously on an outcropping, the agent leads them towards it and gets in, waiting until both Soldiers close the doors before taking off. They start to climb higher and all at once Eagle's ears pop and immense heat sear's her skin. Leaning over she watches as the whole compound blows to pieces, fire ravaging everything and belching smoke into the air. Puffing a breath out of her lips she turns to the agent flying the copter.

"Where now?" The words come out as English, their syllables barely recognizable though. The agent takes several moments to answer.

"To meet up with Fury and then? Wherever you want to go. But for now...I apologize." The Agent pushes a button on the control panel and the seatbelts tighten, the Agent turns around and throws large objects at both Eagle's and Soldier's head. Effectively knocking them both out, not just consciously though….Fury had said the blow should be enough to turn the programming off. Silently the Agent prayed Fury was right...otherwise, they would have two very angry Soldiers to deal with. He watches their unconscious faces, wondering if they would be able to deal with the repercussions of everything that had just happened.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N* I'm so sorry it's so short! I tried to get more written down but I've honestly just run out of time. I leave tomorrow for my trip and I can't bring a computer. But please do enjoy what little I've gotten down.**

**Have a blessed week!**

"How long will they be out for?"

"Not too much longer… and I'm afraid that they will still be in Soldier mindset."

"Your research said that if you knocked them out for a long period of time then the programming would wear off. Now tell me the truth, will it work, or do we need to contain her?"

The voices bounced around Aubrey's ears and she blinked with her eyes closed, mind foggy from the hard blow to the head. The voices continued to argue and things came rushing back...well bits and pieces. But Aubrey shoved them to the back of her mind, focusing on their current situation. Her hand minutely brushed the cold flooring, tile, slippery, especially with shoes on. She strained to locate the location of her captors and decided the two that were talking stood to the right of her, but others seemed to be dotted around the room. In one swift move, Aubrey bolted to her feet, her nails growing into shining talons, shifting from tan to silver and then black. She slowly turned in a circle, hissing a warning. Aubrey's eyes landed on the only person who hadn't backed away in terror. His left eye had a black patch and his lone eye was trained on her. Instead of backing away, he held a hand out and spoke.

"We aren't going to hurt you Aubrey"

Aubrey's eyes zipped around the room, taking in the well-lit warehouse and the smattering of desks and computers.

"How….did you...find me" she rasped, her voice cracking from disuse. Many of the syllables were broken up and Aubrey coughed, clearing her throat.

"I'd been tracking the group of Hydra agents that had captured you. I decided out of the niceness of my heart to rescue you before blowing the place." his voice had started out sincere but dripped with sarcasm by the end of the sentence. Straightening, Aubrey retracted her talons, watching as the nails turned tan before glancing at the man.

"You know my name, yet I don't know yours" she observed.

"Fury-" was his short answer as he turned and backed away. "- and your friend is in containment. He seems more unstable."

"Thank you-" Aubrey felt her posture relax and she rolled her shoulders, cracking her back and smoothing her frazzled hair out of her face.. "-how long were we there?" Her voice cracked, feeling the fog and everything that had happened hovering on the edge of her consciousness.

Fury opened his mouth to reply but an unseen door opened and a breathless agent leaned in. Gasping, "He's awake Sir, the glass won't be able to hold for much longer." Fury stiffened and his gaze flickered to Aubrey briefly before motioning with his head for her to follow. She took long, limping strides to keep up, but leaned over one of the desks, grabbing her wings and bow, along with her various knives and throwing stars. Aubrey shrugged everything on but sped up at the sound of pounding. They came to one-way glass, on the other side was Bucky, pounding on it with his metal arm. Fury nodded to the door "Your up". She nodded and swiftly entered the room, leaving her bow outside the door. Bucky's face was taut and he stopped at the sight of her entering the room.

"Soldat zurücktreten.-" [Stand down Soldier.] she rasped, switching to English. "-At ease Soldat…..Bucky. The people here rescued us and it's safe to come back to reality." His posture slouched ever so slightly and Aubrey held in a sigh of relief, he was coming back. He blinked and his eyes started to clear. Bucky propped himself up against the glass and heaved a gasp, eyes darting around the room before landing on Aubrey.

"I'm here….I'm back" he whisper-gasped. Aubrey felt her posture droop in relief, her back aching, and her various spots of healing skin stretching. His eyes ran over her hunched form and he frowned.

"What happened" He sounded afraid to hear the answer.

She smiled weakly. "Much more than I care to tell right now" Aubrey reached for the door, swinging it open. Fury stood on the other side, his arms crossed but his face softened at the sight of both of the Soldiers conscious and aware of their surroundings.

"Good to know your back-" he commented to them both before his face hardened and he started walking further down the hallway "are you coming or not?" he asked incredulously. Aubrey grabbed her bow and Bucky soundlessly followed her, trusting her judgment. Fury led them to another door, it opened to reveal a room with twin beds on either side, it had one window between the beds and the sun shown in.

"You can stay here until you decide your next moves. I'll hide your location from the Avengers as long as possible but they're bound to figure something out before too long. Kitchens back down the way we came, bathrooms are across the hall. Questions?"

"Where are we?" Aubrey questioned, venturing into the room and peering out the window, the warehouse seemed to be on the edge of a large city, the terrain was dry and grassy with mountains looming up in the distance and a smattering of snow covering much of the ground. Bucky had positioned himself at the foot of the bed to the left but at the mention of their location, he leaned forward slightly to get a look out of the window.

"The Hydra base was on an undiscovered island between Hawaii and Japan on the edge of the Northern Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Currently, we are somewhere in the Yukon." Aubrey got the sense that Fury would rather not disclose their actual location so she left the subject alone. When no other questions arose, Fury left, the door clicking softly behind him. She dropped her bow on the bed, along with her wings before leaning against the wall, tiredly massaging her forehead. A sigh escaped out of her mouth as a battle raged in her mind. Eagle and Aubrey where two personalities battling in one mind. Bucky leaned against the bedpost, his mind somewhere far away. But he was the first person to break the silence.

"What happened." His voice cracked.

Aubrey looked at him from between her fingers, a sigh shuddering out of her. But he waited silently as she collected her thoughts. And then, she started talking softly, recounting of everything that had happened, beginning with the ambush that had resulted in her capture, ending with their breakout. Several minutes of silence passed before Bucky started to talk.

"I cut through Wyoming and Montana...Wanted to get to Canada but never made it that far…-" he trailed off for a minute, before gulping and continuing. "Had just entered Montana and found what I thought was an abandoned warehouse...similar to this one actually...but smaller. Was going to set up there for the night but the moment I stepped through the door it all went to heck. Three heavily armed men dropped from the ceiling and pinned me to the ground, somehow disabling my arm-" he fingered his metal wrist "-Before I knew what was happening more appeared and the words were being said. Got quite a few good hits in before they were was nothing I could do." He gazed up at Aubrey, anguish in his eyes as he murmured "I'm the weaker link when I'm not under their control. Good strategy, get the one more likely to obey and use me to subdue you."

Aubrey shook her head "You're not th-" but Bucky cut her off, raising an eyebrow.

"Brie, we both know there was no way I could've broken through the programming. It's fine."

Aubrey shrugged and pushed off the wall, peering out the window again, leaning her elbow against the sill.

"How is it?" he questioned. She glanced at him over her shoulder and sighed

"Bad enough, but it'll heal" she murmured.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Aubrey said she needed to move around. The door squeaked as it swung open and Aubrey ventured back into the main room to find various people typing furiously at computers. Fury was standing at a control panel but glanced up for a moment before turning to a woman standing beside him.

"Hill? Screen up." The woman, Hill, nodded and fiddled with a machine behind her, one of the blank walls lit up to a map of the world. Aubrey sidled to the back of the room, sliding into the shadows, purposely disappearing.

Fury strode forward and stood beside the projection. "Mark the compounds."

Six gray squares appeared on several of the continents.

"These are six more Hydra compounds that we know about, yesterday it was seven. One of our agents confirmed that this one-" he paused and pointed to one of the squares "Is abandoned but still has files in its database. What should our next move be?" He paused, waiting for someone to answer, Aubrey was tempted to answer but stayed silent. Fury sighed and turned to Agent Hill. "Hill?" he questioned.

"We're going to send in a team to thoroughly search the compound and download all the files before planting several bombs and blowing it.-" she went on to bring up a map of the facility, explaining the different entrances and exits before starting to name the agents who would be going. Aubrey strode forward "I'll do it"

Fury frowned at her but Aubrey kept talking. "I'll be faster and it's safer for just me to go, right? You can have your team work on something else."

He held up a hand "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, did you forget that we just rescued you from Hydra?"

"I haven't forgotten-" she said softly before clearing her throat "But if it's empty then I'll be fine...please I can't rattle around here for days on end."

Fury muttered colorfully under his breath before sighing and glaring at Aubrey.

"Fine, but we're going to send in a team behind you...consider this a trial run. If it goes well then..maybe we can collaborate more in the future. But if we even get a whiff of Hydra then you are to get out of there, understood?"

"Understood"


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N* Hello all! So sorry for the delay between chapters! I had some of this one written but then looked at it and decided to rewrite the chapter. Hopefully, I got the emotions I was going for!**

**Also, I'm camping this week and have been scrambling to try and get this chapter out. It's not near as long as I wanted it to be but things have just been getting in the way. I'll try to have the next chapter out much sooner and have it be significantly longer!**

Aubrey rolled her shoulders back as she flew, feeling the stretch of the skin on her back. Her hair was tucked into the shiny black hood that was attached to the suit Fury had loaned her. Her wings flapped and she vaguely heard the whirr of helicopter blades several klicks behind her. According to Fury, the next base was in Kuggerlassad, Greenland. Rolling blue waves lapped beneath her, small islands a blur. Her commlink beeped before agent Hill's voice sounded.

"You're nearing the landing zone, start descent."

She murmured a response before starting to bank down, soon snow-covered ground loomed before her. Aubrey positioned herself to land and felt her knees wobble as her combat boots made a soft thud. She immediately moved to the tree-cover and followed the GPS watch strapped to her wrist. Up ahead she glimpsed a large black building, surrounded by dense tree-cover. Aubrey reached out and brushed the metal with her gloved right hand, her breath puffing into clouds. The metal was frigid beneath her touch but Fury had said that the door was hidden. She ran her fingers along the seams and several minutes later found what she was looking for. A small opening in the metal, hooking her hand into it. Straining, Aubrey felt the metal groan before creaking open to reveal a dark passageway.

"Got the door open, no hostile's yet" she muttered, notching an arrow before shuddering and turning invisible. The hallway stunk of mold and Aubrey pulled up the cowl looped around her neck, coming to a fork in the hallway. Her footsteps echoed off the black walls and the familiar sound brought Aubrey to a stop. All of a sudden her chest seized, tightening, a gasp tore it's way out of her mouth and Aubrey collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. She flet herself flickering in and out of sight. Her mind buzzed as panic hit her in waves.

_What if they were here?_

_What if they had taken down the helicopter and were hunting her this very moment?_

_What if the words started echoing in the hallway?_

Her stomach rolled and Aubrey attempted to tear the cowl off, her hands trembling violently. Sweat had started rolling down her back and she sunk to the ground, eyes closed, feeling like she was burning up and freezing cold all at once. Vaguely she felt her earpiece buzz.

"Aubrey? What's going on?"

Between gasps, she grit out. "I..don't...know...can't breathe..chest...tight"

On the other end of the line, she heard a curse and footsteps clicking down the hall. Out of the corner of her eye, Aubrey saw Agent Hill hurrying down the passage. Hill's eyes zeroed in on her and she crouched down in front of Aubrey, taking in her state.

"Whats..wrong...with me" Aubrey gasped, feeling like her chest was about to explode.

"I want you to take a deep breath with me" Hill instructed calmly. Together they took several deep breaths, Aubrey struggling not to pant. Several minutes passed and gradually she felt her heart rate slow, and her chest relaxed. Leaning her head against the wall, her eyes fluttered closed.

"What was that?" her whisper sounded loud in the silent hallway.

"I think that was a panic attack-" Hill responded, standing to her feet and checking her GPS watch. "-I told Fury it was too soon to bring you into the field. What triggered it?"

Aubrey thought about it for a minute, her hands fiddling with her bow.

"I...I'm not sure. I remember thinking about how..-" she gulped "the echoing of the footsteps was something that I'd heard before I was the Eagle...while I was waiting in a cell. My brain shut down...I...I..They aren't here are they?"

She gazed up at Hill before getting to her knees and slowly rising on shaky feet.

"No, we did a scan of the area and there aren't any heat signs."

"I can't go back….If I go back...I'm not ever coming back" Aubrey's watery eyes scanned the hallway warily.

"If we have anything to say about it then you won't go back-" Hill's eyes hardened and she nodded towards the fork in the hallway in front of them. "-I've instructed the team to come in behind us and go left, we go right, still feel up to it?"

Her nod felt unsure but Hill was already headed down the right hallway. They cleared every room as they passed it but Aubrey couldn't help but feel something itching at the back of her mind….this place….this facility….it was….familiar.

Hill had taken the lead but Aubrey almost ran into her as she abruptly stopped. Hill turned around and inspected her.

"I think you should head back, you don't look so hot."

Aubrey's internal alarms started to go off and she pushed past Hill. "What are you hiding from...m..." she trailed off in shock, staring at what was before her.

The room stunk of mold and moss crept down one side of the walls, water dripping down the other. The flat mattress was gone, leaving the metal insides of the cell, including the foot-cuff attached to the wall...

Shock started to work its way through Aubrey's body and she shook her head in disbelief. Her hand unknowingly had reached out and grazed the wall. The instant her fingers touch the stone, frigid cold prickled up her arm, spreading to the rest of her body. Aubrey's hand fluttered to her mouth and she gasped, falling to her knees.

Her stutter bounced off the walls and she felt her eyelids flutter.

"This…..I...It started here." her mind rippled and Aubrey felt a new memory surface.

_"Up" a gruff voice commanded her. Aubrey rose to her shaky feet, feeling the familiar weight of the foot-cuff. A man entered the cell and unlatched the cuff, leading her out of the cell and down a hallway. They came to a room with a treadmill, besides it sat various machines with cords that attach to the runner. The man motioned towards the treadmill and Aubrey reluctantly stepped up onto it, watching as the man started to attach the cord suction cups to her forehead, wrists, and over her heart. The treadmill started to hum and it's tread squealed in protest as it started to speed up. As she began to run, Aubrey felt a sharp pain in the crook of her elbow. She looked over to see that the man had inserted a needle that attached to a bag of blue, icy liquid. He flicked a switch and the liquid started to filter through the needle, mingling with her blood. Almost immediately, every muscle in her body stiffened and started to ache, pain flared in her mind and Aubrey cried out. But the only answer she received was the quickening of the treadmill. She ran for hours, on the edge of collapse, and gasping for air but the man threatened her every time she slowed and tripped. Her will to survive was the only thing between her and death._

Aubrey felt hands on her shoulders and she jumped to her feet whirling around, talons already growing from the metal plates. Her eyes played tricks on her and Aubrey launched at the man who had snuck up behind her. Except when the man cried out, his voice belonged to a woman. Aubrey's brows scrunched and she scrambled away, panting heavily, eyes blinking. Her vision dimmed and the person she had thought was a man slowly turned into a woman. The woman's sleeves on her jacket where shredded and her eyes sparkled with fear.

"Aubrey…?" Her voice had once sounded confident but now sounded scared….terrified.

Aubrey gulped, chest heaving as she leaned back against the wall, whispering. "I'm a monster, I almost killed you."

The woman, Agent Hill shook her head, cautiously standing and venturing closer.

"It was an accident. Aubrey you aren't a monster, you triggered a memory right?"

She nodded and repeated her earlier words. "Your wrong, I'm a monster. I've done so many bad things."

Hill's voice became sharp "A monster is someone who enjoys pain, you have done so much to try and fix what happened. Many more people would've died in Sokovia if not for you."


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N* Hello all! I have quite the exciting plot twist up ahead! I apologize for any infuriating cliffhangers! (well actually not really :)**

**Side note* THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY***

Aubrey sighed and pushed off the wall, staring at the room that had brought her so much pain. Growling, she backed away slowly.

"I..don't think I can do this" Her whisper bounced off the walls, creating an eerie symphony.

"Then don't, fly back to the compound. I told Fury you weren't ready for this and I was right"

As much as she hated to admit it, Aubrey agreed with Agent Hill and started to backtrack back down the hallway.

"Just make sure to blow it sky-high" were her last words to Hill as she ran out of the entrance and unfurled her wings. The landscape was a blur beneath her and Aubrey quietly reentered the compound. Her heels clicking on the concrete flooring as she headed back to her assigned room. The whole way back, pictures and memories flew in front of Aubrey's eyes and a sudden headache started to tear at the edges of her vision. Aubrey groaned as she fell onto her bed, clutching her head at the sudden pain, eyes feeling like they were on fire... Aubrey wrote it off as the stress from what had happened but she couldn't help the corner in her mind that continued to nag that maybe this was something deeper….

She drifted in and out of consciousness for hours, at some point during the night Aubrey heard Bucky return from wherever he had been. Finally at 5 am she drifted into a deep sleep.

Bucky was gone again the next morning, Aubrey's mind started to worry about his state of mind. She eased up to her feet only to plop back down on the bed, knees shaking from the effort.

"What is going on" she murmured, gingerly rubbing the joints of her knee. Several moments later she tried to stand again. This time her legs took the weight, Aubrey frowned briefly, wondering what had caused that. But her mind was quickly distracted by the smell floating into her room. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal and the day passed in a blur. Aubrey tried to help to the best of her abilities but just before dinner, her headache returned, more violent than the last time. She retired to her room earlier than usual and went straight to bed. Once again she woke up feeling fine, Aubrey changed into some extra clothes they had given her and headed towards the workout room, needing to do some thinking. Bucky was on the treadmill and kept quiet at her entrance.

"Hey" she greeted but all she got was a gruff nod. Bucky had been increasingly irritable ever since they had been rescued. Something was definitely wrong. The treadmill whirred as Aubrey stepped on and started at a walk. She wanted to ask what was wrong but didn't know how to ask. Usually, if he felt like speaking, Bucky would without her asking. Her joints started to ache and Aubrey shook her head, her muscles were just sore...that was all...

* * *

The day after was a repeat of the same routine but on Friday, Aubrey woke to an unnatural tingling in her legs. She sat up, gulping for air as her hands rubbed her leggings. She attempted to stand and her legs gave out, her wings fell off of the table and clattered to the floor. Aubrey grasped for them, shrugging on the backpack and turning it into wing mode. The jets whirred as the wings worked to pull Aubrey up, she slowly maneuvered towards the door and clanged it open. The hallway was empty but it didn't take long for Aubrey to find the main room, her head had started to buzz and she barely got the door open. Agents looked up from their computers just as Aubrey felt her stomach flip and her eyes flutter closed.

* * *

"Don't understand why-"

"High levels in her blood-"

"Unnatural-"

"She's unnatural-"

The sound of a door echoed through the room, silencing the voices.

"Is she dead or not?" She knew this voice...vaguely.

"Sir, she's having some sort of….reaction"

"To what? Oatmeal?" the voice said incredulously.

"No, this is much deeper. Her blood has high levels of..of..of...-"

"Of what?! Spit it out, doctor!" He interrupted

"Tungsten, Sir. Her blood levels are full of Tungsten."

Aubrey winced, her mind suddenly deciding to connect with her body again but her mind was cloudy. Briefly, she wondered if the fog had returned but..this was not the fog. It drifted through her mind with no agenda, only clouding her thoughts.

"Stay still Aubrey" a voice soothed.

"Where am I" she whispered, voice cracking.

"You're in the same compound you were in this morning."

Cautiously, Aubrey opened her eyes, blinking hard as her vision attempted to clear. Fury and two doctors stood in front of her bed, looking anxious.

"What happened.?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"We're not sure yet...your blood levels are full of metal. Do you know why?"

"No..I…-" But Aubrey trailed off, the cloud backing away and revealing something. Hydra had infused Metal into her bones… "-What types of metal?" her voice shook.

The Doctors leaned over their clipboard. "Mainly Tungsten but we are getting trace amounts of Titanium, and Vibranium. Another one of our tests had a minuscule amount of Adamantium."

"H..Hydra infused my bones with metal."

"How often?"

"Weekly." at this the doctor's brows rose and they started to mumble amongst themselves. Fury stepped forward.

"Is it impacting her?"

"It has been ever since they started injecting it. Chronic injections of Tungsten cause the skeleton to start taking it in and will continue to do so even when the injections stop. We can also assume that any more injections or medical enhancements only sped up the process. Once it starts there's no way to stop it. It also tends to come with side effects."

"Is that what happened? A side effect?" Aubrey questioned.

"In your case..? No, unfortunately not. Everything would be much easier if this was the case. Because of the Serum that was also injected into your blood, your body has been healing the side effects for what looks like years. Now it's to the point that your body is being overwhelmed by the metals and the Tungsten has started to eat away at your bones and nervous system."

The reality of what was happening hit her and Aubrey's lungs exhaled slowly but refused to inhale...

"There's no cure?" It came out as a whisper and the words seemed to fill up the room.

"There's a cure for Acute Tungsten Intoxication but I'm afraid we passed that syndrome months ago."

Fury frowned and shook his head, staring at the doctors. "Absolutely nothing you can do?"

One of the doctors turned to Fury and lowered his voice." The only thing right now is to keep her comfortable until..." he trailed off.

"That's it?!" Fury didn't believe it, he shook his head and looked at Aubrey "I'm going to make some phone calls, don't give up yet."

* * *

Aubrey vaguely heard footsteps outside the hallway but didn't have the energy to move. Her body was deteriorating at an unnaturally rapid rate. Fury hadn't been back since she had found out two days ago. Bucky hadn't come either. She closed her eyes again and continued floating on the cloud of drugs they had her on. The door clicked and creaked, Aubreys eyes opened slowly, blinking several times before her vision cleared. Bucky stood in the doorway, looking unsure, his face was pallid and his shoulders drooped. His hands were clenched at his sides and his voice was barely audible, sounding broken.

"I thought they were lying to me...I.. thought that if I didn't fall for it then they would tell me it was a joke...that it isn't true.. I was wrong" he trailed off and stepped into the room, closing the door. Pulling one of the chairs over he sat down and shook his head.

"So much for being immortal huh?" a weak smile played at his lips but it quickly disappeared "that was bad..sorry"

Aubrey felt a small smile tug at her lips and she turned back to look at the ceiling, neck starting to ache.

"I think that jokes are okay, especially since it distracts the mind. It's good to know you still talk"

Bucky sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, dragging his metal hand down his face.

"Has anyone contacted my family?" Aubrey whispered tears pricked her blurred vision as she wished that she could feel her mother's arms around her once more before she passed.

"I..contacted them before coming here, thought that they should know. No one's responded yet, I'm sure it will come as a shock.-" he paused and his eyes looked Aubrey over.

"You're sure there's nothing they can do?"

"The doctors?" her voice cracked as her shaking, pale hand reached for the cup of water sitting on the table beside her. The water sloshed around as Aubrey took a sip, waiting until the water had gone down before sipping more.

Bucky nodded at her words and fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"There's nothing anyone can do. Fury said he would call around but I haven't seen him since I found out. I..I think that these-" she paused and put the water down, shining her silver nails in the light "-these only sped up the process. Unless I was given more metal whilst recovering from...other injuries." she carefully avoided the subject of the arena.

Bucky shook his head again, cursing under his breath.

"Promise me-" Aubrey paused to make sure that he was listening. "- promise me that you won't go mental, go find Steve or someone you trust. The way you've been acting lately has been hard to watch. Just...be human Bucky, go live a life. Find somewhere safe and unreachable. And before you say that a place like that doesn't exist...I'm positive it does. Just requires a little searching." Bucky stood up abruptly, brow furrowed.

"I'm going to find Fury and drag him down here if I need to. There has to be someone on this planet with a big enough brain to save you." he paused and looked Aubrey in the eyes "- I'm not sure there's anyone else I trust."

**A/N* THIS IS NOT THE END, MORE IS STILL TO COME***


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N* Another Chapter out for you! I hope everyone is doing well this week! This chapter is a bit long but packed with information. I do promise though that Aubrey will get a break, her life will even out...eventually.**

**Also, there might be a bit of space between this chapter and the next, as I have decided to participate in NanoWrimo. (Look it up if you haven't heard of it). But when my book is finished then it'll be back to weekly chapters!**

**Lastly, if you are enjoying then please do hit that follow button and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Raised voices sounded out in the hallway and Aubrey groaned as the sedative started to wear off.

"I don't care if it gives up your position! She needs help!" She knew Bucky's voice anywhere

"She doesn't need it right now I'm working on it!" Fury sounded angry.  
"How would you know that?! You haven't seen her since the first day!"

The door banged open and Aubrey slowly turned her head towards them, resisting the urge to inhale deeply. Her lungs screamed for air but even the slightest large inhale made her ribs ache. Instead, she resorted to small gasps choosing comfort over pain.

Fury stopped in his tracks at the sight of Aubrey's pale face and limp hair, he seemed to have been caught off guard.

"It happened so quickly...He said it would take more time" he stammered.

"You found someone?" Bucky turned his back on Aubrey and glared at Fury.

Fury stepped around him and glanced at Aubrey.

"We did find someone but he has been...demanding. It's also your choice Aubrey whether you would want to go through with this or not."

"Who is it?" She asked tentatively

Fury shook his head "You're fearing the worst, and you should be. He said he will help but he wants to do further testing...he's fascinated by you and wants to research you."

"What does that mean?"

"He wants to know how they infused the metal, the creation of your wings, how you overcame the programming, those-" he nodded towards her enhanced fingernails."- Everything that Hydra did."

Aubrey didn't know why anyone would want to know how and why they did it but she wasn't done with this world yet.

"I...I'm not ready to die yet so...I guess I'll do whatever it takes." her voice shook as she glanced at Bucky, seeing hope shining in his eyes.

Fury nodded and tapped his Commlink "Connect me to Starks line" he said gruffly. He nodded to Aubrey "I'll arrange everything."

"Thank you"

"Just doing my job, can't have a hero in the making dying young" were Fury's last words as he left the room. Yet his words echoed in Aubrey's mind. _Hero in the making…._

* * *

The jet rumbled as another round of turbulence plagued them. Aubrey winced, feeling her bones rub on each other. She sucked in a breath and immediately regretted it, trying not to cry out in pain as her ribs ached.

"How much longer?" She grit out to Fury, vision dimming from pain.

"Almost there, the drugs should be helping with the pain."

"Clearly they're not" Aubrey snipped back, trying to sit more comfortably in the chair. Earlier that morning she had been rushed to a sleek black jet and given a hefty dose of medicine to help with the pain. Bucky had stayed behind at the compound, not yet ready to know that Steve could very well be at the Avengers compound. Fury though, sat in the chair across from Aubrey, doing something on his iPad. Nerves writhed in Aubrey's stomach as she wondered what it would be like to be living in the Avengers base. Hopefully, no one had ill will towards her. The Jet rumbled again but this time a voice came over the comms.

"Preparing for landing, please stay seated and buckle your seatbelts."

Aubrey's shaking hand clicked the seatbelt back into place before she mentally prepared for the landing. She felt the Jet start to ark downwards and knew the moment they had touched the ground. It slowed to a stop several moments later and Aubrey quietly let out a small breath, glad to be back on the ground. Normally she loved being in the air but her sickness had dimmed her senses and Aubrey no longer felt safe knowing that she didn't have the energy to defend herself. Fury stood to his feet and watched as Aubrey unhooked the seatbelt and slowly rose, using the furniture as something to lean on.

"I can go get-"

"No" Aubrey snapped, limping to the door. It slid open with ease and she watched as Fury stepped down with dexterity onto the concrete. Attempting to do it herself, Aubrey put one leg down, waiting until her breath calmed before bringing the other leg onto the ground. A car waited on the edge of the runway and Fury guided her over, waiting until she was seated in the back before getting in the passenger side. The driver nodded to them, checking Fury's I.D before turning the car around and starting on the road. It was then that Aubrey's weary eyes started to scan the area. The small airport was surrounded by towering pine trees, as was the road. Minutes passed and the trees started to thin out, revealing a large building with high fencing and reflective glass. The building managed to look both sleek and modern.

People buzzed around everywhere, training in the yard, walking on the intricate walkways, or just loitering around. Aubrey felt her eyes widen, she had expected it to be big but not this large. On the side of the building was a glittering, silver A. The vehicle hummed as it came to a stop at the gates, a guard checked the drivers I.D before waving them through. They drove up to the front door and Aubrey drew in a small gasp before opening the door and pulling herself out, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Fury stepped out as well, observing as the driver carefully removed their bags from the trunk. A tall woman hurried out of the building, an easy smile on her face as the light breeze blew her blonde hair out behind her.

"Thanks for driving them, if you could just take the bags inside that would be great" she mentioned to the driver quietly, he nodded and disappeared inside the glass doors. Turning to Aubrey, she smiled warmly.

"Hi Aubrey, It's so nice to have you here. I'm Pepper, Tony sent me to make sure you made it inside alright.-" she paused and said in a quieter voice "- If you don't want help that's alright but it's okay to ask"

Aubrey immediately knew she liked this woman.

"Thank you" she whispered, letting Pepper help her through the door and into the compound. Fury followed behind silently. Aubrey had thought that the outside of the building was grand but it didn't compare to the inside. In front of her was a sitting area, cut off from the rest of the room by darkened glass. A meeting room was to her left and to her right a hallway. Stairs were in the far corners of the room and walkways were above her head.

"Wow" was all she could say. Pepper led Aubrey through a hallway to an elevator, it chirped happily as it pulled the two up to the third floor.

"This is the part of the compound where everyone's rooms are, yours is this way" the walk was short and they stopped at a mahogany door. It was then that Aubrey realized that Fury had veered away and left her with Pepper.

"This is you! If you need anything just ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. She's the A.I in the compound, all you have to do is call out for her. Tony said he would come by in an hour or so. The kitchen is just down that way, otherwise, you can just order something if you're hungry. Any questions?"

"Umm… Just one-" Aubrey cleared her throat and tried to sound confident. "-I'm pretty sure that I'm due for pain medicine soon and-"

"Everything is taken care of, the room next to yours has a nurse that will temporarily be living there. She will help you with whatever you need." Pepper twisted the knob and the door slid open without a noise. Aubrey had to stop her jaw from dropping as she ventured in. The wall in front of her had windows from floor to ceiling, showing off a lake teeming with wildlife. The walls were dark grey, to her left was a dark oak desk, an expensive-looking computer sitting on top. To her right was a dresser and what she assumed was the door to the bathroom. Behind Aubrey, by the door, was a kingsize bed with side tables on either side. Balls of various sizes shaded an array of colors, hung from the ceiling on brown string, giving off a light glow.

"It's beautiful" Aubrey stammered, lowering herself down onto the bed.

"The glass is one-way and your bags are right in there-" Pepper nodded towards the wardrobe that sat beside the desk. "-If you want to watch T.V then tell F.R.I.D.A.Y and she will lower it from the ceiling.

"Thank you, this..means a lot." Aubrey turned to Pepper and saw tears shining in the blonde's eyes. Pepper smiled, looking as if she were to say anything then tears would fall.

She sniffed "The nurse will be by soon." wiping her eyes, Pepper hurried out of the room, the door softly clicking shut behind her. Aubrey felt a grin flit to her lips, the first smile in days. Maybe there actually was hope, after all, Ironman had saved himself from death. Perhaps he could save her too. A knock on the bathroom door brought Aubrey to her senses, tensing she automatically reached for the only weapons she hadn't parted with. Her throwing stars were nestled comfortably in the pockets of her sweat pants on her thighs. The door swung open and a short petite woman came in, her eyes sparkling. She tapped a blank wall and Aubrey watched in awe as the wall opened to reveal a small kitchenette with medical supplies. Aubrey scootched back onto the bed and leaned against the mass of pillows, her weary and deteriorating body calling for a break. The Nurse brought over an I.V stand and started introducing herself as she started working.

"Hi there Sweety, my name is Miss. Emma, but to you, I'm Miss. M. Don't worry about a thing while you're here. You need anything then just ask."

"Thank you, Miss. M" Aubrey watched as the pain medication started to work its way through her body. She felt her body start to relax slightly and all of a sudden Aubrey felt a yawn and her eyes started to droop.

"Just take a nap, don't fight it" Miss. M smiled gently, bringing the covers up to Aubrey's chin. She nodded drowsily and felt her eyelids close.

* * *

Tony Stark walked with purpose, he never ambled unless there was something to puzzle over. This matter was indeed worth puzzling. Pepper had told him several hours ago that the girl was here but he had been too busy studying her blood samples, trying to puzzle out how to counterbalance the Tungsten. His heels clicked on the wooden flooring as he came to her door. Checking his watch, it was 8:30...most likely too late but her life was now on a timer, and time was ticking. Tony raised his hand to knock but never got the chance because the knob twisted and the door slowly swung open. In front of him stood someone who he could only describe as a living ghost. The girl's face was pale and her hair hung limply, its edges looking to have been bleached of color. Her eyes were Cat-eye green but unspeakable horrors flashed in them. Her hands shook and she leaned against the door with a forced smile on her face.

"Tony Stark" he put out his hand as he introduced himself. The girl shook it, her grip weak, she was nothing like the girl from the video all those months ago.

"Aubrey Cristo, thank you so much for agreeing to help Mr. Stark.-" she started but Tony held up a hand.

"Tony-" he corrected, motioning for Aubrey to follow him out of the room. She hobbled out and Tony frowned, they weren't going to get anywhere in this state. "F.R.I.D.A.Y?" He called out

"Yes, Boss?" F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice came through the ceiling.

"Send that wheelchair down to us please."

"It's on its way." Several moments later a wheelchair came rolling down the hallway silently, he watched for the girl's reaction. Her face relaxed slightly and she looked relieved. The wheelchair came to a stop and chirped hello to Aubrey, she smiled gratefully at it and murmured her thanks to Tony before easing down into it. He nodded awkwardly before leading her up to the fourth floor to his lab. Bits and pieces of machinery were scattered all throughout the room and little robots scurried around. A surge of pride shot it's way through Tony as he observed everything he created. One corner of the lab had been cleared away and now stood ready for use.

"Tungsten is resistant to attack by acids, except for mixtures of concentrated nitric and hydrofluoric acids, and it can be attacked rapidly by alkaline oxidizing melts, such as fused mixtures of potassium nitrate and sodium hydroxide or sodium peroxide; aqueous alkalies, however, are without effect-." Tony started but came to a stop when he saw Aubrey's face twisting in confusion. He sighed and translated for her "Tungsten is resistant to most acids except for concentrated acids."

She nodded and scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "So…-" she started "- we need something that can continually counteract the Tungsten. Similar to what the Serum has been doing for years just more potent."

"Exactly" Tony was impressed by how quickly she had caught onto that. The two stayed in the lab for quite some time, discussing ways to counteract the metal. Yet none of the ideas would work, they needed something new...something that had never been done before. Tony lapsed into silence, puzzling over what could possibly work when suddenly he remembered a project that had been trashed months ago...yet maybe...no...it couldn't work….. He continued to muse over the thought for quite some time after Aubrey had been returned to her room for a break.

* * *

Three days had passed since she had come to the compound and all the activity was starting to wear on her. Aubrey woke that morning with enough energy to hobble to the bathroom and back but the moment she sat back on the bed tiredness overwhelmed her. She knew what was happening but was afraid to say it. _Time was almost up_.

Miss. M came in several minutes later and helped Aubrey get dressed before administering more medication and ordering some breakfast.

"What would you like this morning Aubrey?"

"I'm not hungry actually if that's alright..." Aubrey trailed off as Miss. M gave her a stern look that could wither flowers.

"You need to keep your strength up Aubrey. You barely made it out of bed this morning and no offense dear but look like you haven't slept in years. I'm going to order you some french toast and an egg." Miss M. bustled out of the room to order, leaving Aubrey to herself for several moments. The lake outside had a gaggle of geese swimming on its waters, accompanied by several white swans. Ever since the first day, Aubrey had felt a knot start to tangle in her chest, it was full of her fears and thoughts. Yet looking at the birds outside seemed to loosen the knot slightly, enabling her to look over at the mobile phone Bucky had slipped into her bag with a note attached. It had sat on her side table untouched but now she had an urge to pick it up and dial the number. Picking it up, she fingered the button before turning the phone on and dialing who she had in mind.

It rang several minutes before someone picked up.

"Cristo Residence." The voice sounded happy yet there was a deep note of sadness in it.

"Mom..?" Aubrey whispered, hearing her mothers cry on the other end of the phone.

"Aubrey! Oh Honey, is it you?" the note of hope in her voice was too much for Aubrey and she felt tears gathering in her eyes.

"It's me, I'm here" her voice cracked. "I'm here for the time being."

"Bucky called, he...he said you weren't going to make it..and...and we didn't know what to say but now you're calling and..and" Her mother broke down into sobs, mumbling unintelligibly. Aubrey quietly rearranged her mind before speaking again,

"We found someone...who might be able to counteract what's happening...but nothing is for sure yet."

"But you're alright? You feel okay?" Her mother sounded so optimistic.

"I…," Aubrey hesitated, deciding to tell the truth. ", It's progressing so quickly...I...I know everyone is hoping for a good outcome but...I just don't see it…-" she paused, the last words coming out in a whisper " hurts...all the time."

"Can you come home?..so we can see you.."

Aubrey opened her mouth but nothing came out, she was unsure how to respond. A knock sounded on her door and she held the phone away from her mouth." Come in." before talking back into the phone. "I.. don't know mom, If we can't come up with anything within the next week then I'll think about it." The door creaked Open and Aubrey turned to see Tony walk in, his eyes bloodshot and his usually neat clothing rumpled.

"I love you, Aubrey, we all do. Don't you forget that and Glacier misses you too"

"I love you too mom, I gotta go but I promise I'll be better about updating you. Bye," she quickly hung up and wiped her tears away before turning to face Tony. He opened his mouths several times before closing it again, running a hand down his exhausted face he finally started to speak. "I think I found something...it might be nothing...but it could be something."

Aubrey wordlessly moved into the wheelchair that sat at the foot of her bed and followed Tony out of the room to a different lab on the second floor. It had a common room beside it and a little kitchen. Tony motioned her over and turned on a screen.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y connect this to Micro 1...please"

"Yes Boss." came the A.I's response. The screen flickered on to show red liquid with dots. Tony sat at a stool and Aubrey wheeled right up next to him. He pointed to a microscope on the table and added something to the liquid. The liquid on screen stayed red but numerous silvery dots appeared.

"Is that..?" Aubrey questioned.

"Yes, it's the Tungsten, now see how it is dispersed throughout the blood and if I do this-" he paused and added a minuscule piece of meat into the Petri dish. The Tungsten rushed to the meat and within seconds it was gone. "-I knew that I couldn't use anything organic for the cure and obviously we can't attach something to your back that would cleanse your blood. But then I got to thinking and there was a project that I had trashed several years ago. Pepper, of course, kept it, saying I'd need it eventually...and it appears.-" Tony paused, his next words seeming to pain him "-she was right." he grit out. He disappeared out of the room for a minute before reappearing with a small jar of little grains of black sand.

"Sand-." Aubrey deadpanned. "-your brilliant idea is sand."

Tony sighed dramatically and made a show of rolling his eyes. "If this is sand then it's billion-dollar sand. This is one of the first nanotechnology prototypes I've been developing. It hasn't been doing what I want it to do but I'm wondering if I can reprogram them to suit you better."

"How long will that take?" Aubrey leaned back in the wheelchair, not yet letting hope bloom in her heart.

"I'll have a prototype ready for you to try tonight. F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Make sure she gets back to her room okay."

"Will do Boss." Aubrey shook her head in disbelief, wondering how Tony managed to make an A.I Sound so human. She left Tony muttering to himself in the lab, Aubrey returned to her room and ate breakfast with Miss. M administering more medicine.

"It's beautiful out today." she hinted.

"That's nice" Aubrey mumbled around her food, watching a chick flick on the t.v

"How nice it would be to sit outside for a little bit, what do you think Aubrey?"

Looking up from her plate, Aubrey sighed at Miss. M. "Could you be any more obvious?"

"A bit yes. I think you need to get some fresh air, it will do you good."

"I guess" she relented, swallowing the last of the food and with Miss. M's help, sliding back into the wheelchair.

"Do you want me to come with?" Miss. M asked.

"No, but I'll take this with me" Aubrey reached for her blue journal and a pencil, gently placing them on her lap before guiding the electric wheelchair out of the room. As much as she hated to admit it, Miss. M had been right. The sun was shining and a light breeze danced on the air. Aubrey wandered around on the walkways, finding herself in a secluded cove on the edge of the lake. She positioned herself by a park bench but stayed seated in the wheelchair. Little ducklings followed their mother and father, peeping happily as dragonflies landed on the cattails. Puffing a breath out of her lips, Aubrey watched in silence, everything was happening so fast. She had been doing so well until Hydra had gotten her again.

"Hydra does seem to always know how to ruin everything, but this gives me a chance to do something that has been on my conscience. I never got to thank you, for saving my life," said a heavily accented voice behind her. Aubrey startled and turned her head to find Wanda Maximoff standing several feet away, she was wringing her hands nervously and smiled.

Clearing her throat, Aubrey plastered what she hoped was a smile on her face "It was something I couldn't just stand by and watch."

"Well I thank you for it anyway, may I sit?" her bright eyes met Aubrey's, and she eased onto the park bench beside her, introducing herself.

"Wanda Maximoff, it's a pleasure to meet you….?"

"Aubrey-" she finished for her.

Wanda nodded and studied Aubrey for a moment before turning towards the lake.

"Do you like it here?"

The question took Aubrey by surprise, she had been expecting something more serious. Yet the question lightened her spirits, it was the first time in days that someone had asked something so simple.

"It is certainly beautiful, my room is amazing…" Aubrey trailed off, not sure how to end the statement.

"But it's not home, especially not since you are a stranger here." Wanda finished for her as if she knew what Aubrey had wanted to say.

"Exactly" this time Aubrey's smile was real, the redhead seemed to get her. The two sat in comfortable silence as one of the swans flapped its wings before settling down again.

"Did you just return?" the question popped out of Aubrey's mouth before she knew what was happening. Wanda laughed, sensing what had happened by the expression on her face.

"Yeah, landed about an hour ago…-" she paused, translating her next words. "- it may surprise you but sometimes after missions, I come here to sit, it's one of the only places that isn't artificial at the compound."

"And there isn't an A.I constantly eavesdropping?" Aubrey finished, they chuckled together for a few moments. Wanda's face changed and she looked like she was concentrating, her eyes fluttered, corneas tinging red. Aubrey felt her brows scrunch, what was she doing?

"I am trying to block the pain radiating off of you...it is...excruciating."

"I...are you reading my thoughts?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Not on purpose, your emotions and thoughts blare out like no other mind I've experienced...the minute we started nearing the compound I felt it."

"So it's not an accident you came out here?"

"Only if you want it to be-" Wanda's face relaxed and she rolled her shoulders "- do not feel bad though. It's not your fault you're in so much pain. Although from what Stark said your pain might almost be over."

"That...would be a miracle-" Aubrey paused, a little overwhelmed by all the information. "-I don't know how much longer I have" her last sentence came out quietly, confirming her fears.

"I know that it seems that Stark does not care, that he is only here for the rewards but I think that even he realizes the importance of this situation...he seems...flustered and he wouldn't talk to us, just kept walking and talking to himself."

"he said he was onto something earlier today."

"And when I looked into his head..he was.-" Wanda paused, something in her ear chirping. "- I'm needed for a report, but everything will be alright Aubrey. It was so nice to meet you" Wanda murmured as she stood and said goodbye to her.

And as she watched the tall redhead walk away, Aubrey couldn't help but let the seed of hope in her heart begin to bloom.


End file.
